Who played Frank Burns in the M*A*S*H television series?

Larry Linville played Frank Burns in the M*A*S*H television series.

Linville joined the original TV ensemble as Major Frank Burns, the 4077th’s rigid, self-important executive officer and surgeon. Burns was a foil for Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre: he favored military discipline and regulation, while they frequently challenged authority and treated official rules as obstacles to patient care or personal freedom.

Linville played Burns during the show’s first five seasons, from the 1972 debut through the character’s departure in the fifth-season finale. He chose not to renew his contract, feeling the increasingly one-dimensional character offered limited room for development. The show then introduced Major Charles Winchester, played by David Ogden Stiers, as Burns’s replacement.

A common mix-up comes from the 1970 film, where Robert Duvall played Frank Burns. The TV series also had other prominent early cast members, including McLean Stevenson as Henry Blake and Wayne Rogers as Trapper John, but neither played Burns.