He appeared on “M.A.S.H.” for only the first three of 11 seasons, but the army surgeon was one of the most popular characters on the show, known for his repartee with Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce. He was reportedly frustrated by the show’s focus on Alda when he quit after three seasons, with Mike Farrell replacing him as B.J. Hunnicut.
Despite Rogers’ departure from the show, he remained friendly with Alda, who saluted his Rogers in a Twitter message: “He was smart, funny, curious and dedicated,” Alda wrote. “We made a pact to give MASH all we had and it bonded us.”
He was born in Alabama and attended Princeton. While serving in the Navy, he started acting and worked in the theater in the 1950s before getting small film roles in movies such as “The Glory Guys” and “Cool Hand Luke.” and co-starred opposite Robert Bray in TV Western “Stagecoach West” and made appearances on numerous shows including “Gunsmoke,” “The F.B.I.,” “Cannon” and “Barnaby Jones” before his career-defining role in “M.A.S.H.”
Though his acting career slowed down in the ’90s, he began to invest in stocks and real estate and appeared regularly as a panelist on Fox Business Network’s show “Cashin’ In” as well as acting as a spokesman for reverse mortgage companies. He is survived by his wife, Amy, a son, a daughter and four grandchildren.
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