Celebrity Graveland

November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996

Edgar McLean Stevenson trodded the boards for years in Summer Stock theatre and fledgling TV programs. He eventually established himself as a comedy writer and occasional performer before landing a guest spot on Marlo Thomas’ That Girl. This led to a starring role in The Doris Day Show, which led to the role for which he will always be remembered: Col. Henry Blake on the seminal sitcom M*A*S*H. For three seasons, Stevenson earned laughs as Col. Blake but began to resent the character’s role as a “lowly” ensemble member. He wanted to be the star, so he walked away. His departure from the show – culminating in the surprise revelation of Blake dying in an off-screen plane crash – became one of the most memorable moments in television history.  Stevenson never again found the kind of success he did on M*A*S*H and regretted leaving the show for the rest of his career. In 1996, after undergoing surgery for bladder cancer, he died of a heart attack at the age of 68.

Burial

Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills, CA

Specific Location

Courts of Remembrance, Columbarium of Valor, niche G64649; Inside this small columbarium on the south end of the Courts of Remembrance, McLean’s niche is on the right wall as you enter, 2 spaces from the corner and 3 rows down from the top.

This entry was posted on October 17, 2013 at 11:25 am and is filed under Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags Actors, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, MASH. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.