11/24 Loretta Swit, Robert Forster

Loretta Swit (born November 4, 1937) is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best-known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H.












Robert Forster (born July 13, 1941) is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gaining him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

11/17 Robert Conrad, Robert Forster

Special guest, Robert Forster joins the show!

Robert Forster was born in Rochester, New York in 1941 and first become interested in acting while attending Rochester's Madison High School where he performed as a song-and-dance man in musical revues. After graduating in 1959, Forster attended Heidelberg College, Alfred University, and the University of Rochester on football scholarships and continued to perform in student theatrical revues.

After earning a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Rochester in 1963, Forster took an apprenticeship at an East Rochester theater where he performed in such plays as "West Side Story." Forster moved to New York City in 1965, where his first big break came when he landed the lead in the two-character play "Mrs. Dally Has a Lover" opposite Arlene Francis. But after the play ran its course, work was hard to find in the theater. Forster returned to Rochester where he worked as a substitute teacher and construction worker until an agent from 20th Century Fox Pictures offered him a five-picture deal. His movie debut was a small part in the 1967 drama Reflections in a Golden Eye, which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. Forster went on to appear in small and minor roles and acting alongside some top Hollywood actors in films like The Stalking Moon (1968) and Medium Cool (1969), and a large part in Justine (1969). Although he continued to act in feature films, he took the part of a hardboiled detective in the short-lived 1972 TV series "Banyon."

Forster also appeared in notable parts in The Black Hole (1979), Avalanche (1978), and as the lead in the cult horror flick Alligator (1980), and played the part of a factory worker-turned-vigilante in the 1982 thriller Vigilante. Forster also was offered the lead as a taxi driver in Walking the Edge (1983) by director Norbert Meisel. A series of action flicks followed, the most notable being Delta Force (1986) which starred Chuck Norris. By the late 1980s Forster's acting career had begun to slide, with work becoming less and less, and if there was any, he would be cast in small parts playing villains. Forster then began to work as a motive speaker and an acting coach in Hollywood film schools.

But then in the mid-1990s, Forster's career was resurrected by writer-director Quentin Tarantino, a long-time fan of Forster's early work, who offered him an audition for a part in his latest movie. After a seven-hour audition, Tarantino cast Forster in the role of the tough but sympathetic bail bondsman Max Cherry in Jackie Brown (1997), which netted him an Academy Award nomination and some nationwide recognition. His success landed him more high-profile starring roles in films such as All the Rage (1998), Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho (1998), and Supernova (2000). Forster continues to act in many big budget Hollywood productions playing many charming characters who often steal the scene.

11/10 Join Robert Conrad as he chats with actress Loretta Swit!

Swit was born in Passaic, New Jersey of Polish descent. She studied with Gene Frankel in Manhattan and considered him her acting coach. She regularly returned to his studio to speak with aspiring actors throughout her career. Swit is also a singer who trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before entering the theater. She graduated from Pope Pius XII High School in Passaic, NJ, in 1955.

In 1967, Swit toured with the national company of Any Wednesday, starring Gardner McKay. She continued as one of the Pigeon sisters opposite Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine in a Los Angeles run of The Odd Couple.

In 1975, Swit played in Same Time, Next Year on Broadway opposite Ted Bessell[1]. She also performed on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. From there, she played Agnes Gooch in the Las Vegas version of Mame, starring Susan Hayward and later, Celeste Holm. Most recently, Swit has toured with The Vagina Monologues.

In October–November 2003, she starred as the title character in North Carolina Theatre production of Mame in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In August–September 2010, Swit starred in the world premier of the Mark Miller play, Amorous Crossings at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida, directed by Todd Booth.

When Swit arrived in Hollywood in 1970, she performed in television shows, including Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, and Mannix.

Starting in 1972, Swit played Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the television series M*A*S*H. She inherited the star-making role from actress Sally Kellerman, who portrayed Houlihan in the feature film. Swit, Alan Alda, Jamie Farr, and William Christopher stayed for all 11 seasons of the show, from 1972 to 1983.

She and Alda were the only two actors to have been on the pilot episode and the finale; she appeared in all but 11 of the total of 251 episodes. Swit received two Emmy Awards for her work on M*A*S*H. Later, she was also the first M*A*S*H star to visit South Korea, when she narrated the documentary Korea, the Forgotten War.

In 1981, Swit played the "Christine Cagney" role in the movie pilot for the television series Cagney & Lacey, but was precluded by contractual obligations from continuing the role. Actress Meg Foster portrayed Cagney for the first six episodes of the television series with Sharon Gless taking over the role from that point on.

Swit also guest-starred in shows such as The Love Boat, Win, Lose or Draw, Match Game, Pyramid, and Hollywood Squares. She also starred in Christmas programs such as the television version of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and 1987's PBS Special A Christmas Calendar.[3] In 1992 she hosted the 26 part series Those Increbible Animals on the Discovery Channel. Loretta's latest appearance was on GSN Live on October 10, 2008.

11/3 Robert Conrad Talks With YOU!

The show is all about you! Your letters, your emails and YOUR calls! It's a love-fest between you and Robert Conrad, today, so call in at 800-336-2225 or email Robert Conrad at rconrad@crni.net!