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McLean Stevenson (November 14, 1929 - February 15,
1996), born in Normal, Illinois was an American
actor most recognized for his role as Henry
Blake|Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series
M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H.
His name comes from McLean County, Illinois, where
he was born and raised. His father was a
cardiologist. 

Stevenson was the grandson of Adlai E. Stevenson,
Vice President of the United States, and a cousin
of Adlai Stevenson II who was governor of Illinois
and two time United States Democratic
Party|Democratic President of the United States of
America|presidential nominee. Therefore, he was a
nephew of Lewis G. Stevenson, the Secretary of
State of Illinois and uncle to Adlai Stevenson
III, an Illinois senator. He is also the sister of
actress Ann Whitney.

After serving in the U.S. Navy|Navy, he attended
Northwestern University, where he graduated with a
bachelor's degree in theater arts. Afterwards he
worked on a radio station, played a clown on a
live television|TV show in Dallas, Texas|Dallas,
became an assistant director at Northwestern
University|Northwestern, and sold medical supplies
and insurances. Afterwards he worked as a press
secretary for his cousin in the President of the
United States|presidental elections of 1952 and
1956. He formed the "Young Democrats for
Stevenson". 

In 1961, his cousin invited him to some parties,
where he met some business luminaries. He followed
his cousin's advice to look for a show business
career. He auditioned and won a scholarship to the
American Musical and Dramatic Academy. His
teachers included the well-respected Lee
Strasberg, Sandy Meisner, David Craig, Lehman
Engel and Sue Seaton. 

Stevenson made his profession career debut in "The
Music Man" in 1962 and appeared regularly in
Warsaw, Indiana in summer stock productions. After
this he appeared in New York on stage and
television commercials. He also performed on
Broadway. However, he began to establish himself
as a comedy writer, writing for the seminal "That
was the week that was", which Alan Alda appeared,
and the "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour". He
performed occasionally on both shows. 

After the guest-starring on "That Girl" (1966),
with Marlo Thomas, he was signed on to the The
Doris Day Show in 1969, playing magazine editor
boss Michael Nicholson until 1971. Originally, he
auditioned in the role of Hawkeye Pierce in
"M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H but he was convinced
to play Henry Blake. This role shot him to
stardom. He eventually wrote one episode, The
Trial of Henry Blake and provided the story for
another, The Army-Navy Game. He received one Emmy
nomination for his writing.  

His Col. Blake character was one of the most
popular on M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H, a carefree
clod who preferred fishing to keeping close tabs
on the unit under his command. Furthermore, the
show was quickly one of the most popular sitcoms
running, and would eventually become recognized as
one of the top sitcoms in television history. But
Stevenson grew impatient with playing second
fiddle to the wisecracking Hawkeye character
played by Alan Alda, and asked to be let out of
his contract during the show's third season. The
writers accomplished this transition in the final
episode of the 1974-75 season, in which Col. Blake
received a reassignment, boarded a plane that was
shot down over the Pacific, and was presumed dead.
Stevenson's departure turned out to be one of the
most catastrophic show business career decisions
in recent memory.

For years afterwards, Stevenson starred in a
series of sitcoms that he hoped would bring him
the comic leading-man status to which he aspired,
but none of these efforts met with much success.
They included The McLean Stevenson Show, In the
Beginning, "Hello, Larry", and Condo. These were
all dismissed by audiences and critics alike as
sorry wastes of Stevenson's abilities. Not one
lasted for more than a single season.
He guest starred in shows such as "Square One TV",
"The Love Boat", "Different Strokes" "Hollywood
Squares" and "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson". 

His screen credits include the Walt Disney
Pictures|Disney movie The Cat from Outer Space as
a friend of Dr. Frank Wilson, (played by actor Ken
Berry) who found a cat whose spaceship had crashed
and needed a bar of gold bullion to get back home.


He died in 1996 from a heart attack and was
interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, Roger Bowen, who
played Henry Blake in the M*A*S*H (movie)|M*A*S*H
movie, died of the same cause the following day.

One legacy of Mr. Stevenson is a word his name
coined---McLean (TV)|McLeaning, which refers to an
actor leaving a show, and his or her character's
subsequent demise---as happened to Henry Blake
when McLean left M*A*S*H.

When he died, Stevenson left behind a wife Ginny,
his daughter Lindsey and actor Jeff MacGregor from
a previous marriage. 
 
==External links==
*imdb name|id=0829004|name=McLean Stevenson