Which actor played Trapper John McIntyre in the M*A*S*H television series?

Wayne Rogers played Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre in the M*A*S*H television series. He was part of the original ensemble cast and appeared during the show’s first three seasons, from 1972 to 1975.

On the series, Trapper is a talented surgeon and one of Captain Hawkeye Pierce’s closest friends. Their partnership combines medical skill, irreverent humor, and resistance to military bureaucracy. Although the television character is based on the figure from Richard Hooker’s novel and the 1970 film, the adaptation changed several details and emphasized Trapper’s comic, energetic personality.

The role is easy to confuse with Elliott Gould, who played Trapper John in the 1970 film, and Pernell Roberts, who portrayed an older version in the spin-off series Trapper John, M.D. Wayne Rogers is the correct answer specifically for the original M*A*S*H television series.

Rogers left after the third season because he felt the series increasingly centered on Hawkeye. The writers then replaced Trapper with Captain B. J. Hunnicutt, played by Mike Farrell.