Rise to Fame
He studied aeronautical engineering before applying to RADA, becoming one of three Americans admitted out of 300 applicants. His classmates included John Hurt and Tom Courtenay. After years in regional rep and Broadway (sharing a stage with Ingrid Bergman), a guest spot on Room 222 reportedly caught producer Gene Reynolds's eye. Reynolds cast him as Frank Burns when MASH launched in 1972, and the show's most despised character became Linville's career.
In the Spotlight
He left MASH after Season 5 by choice, turning down a two-year renewal because Frank Burns had, in his own words, a 'dark aura' he couldn't keep working with. The show ran six more seasons without him. His post-MASH career included short-lived series and guest spots on everything from Murder She Wrote to ER. He received two Emmy nominations for Frank Burns and won neither. The deeper irony: every castmate described him as the opposite of that character. Alan Alda delivered his eulogy.
Side Notes
Gary Burghoff called him a 'renaissance man' who built and flew his own glider in his spare time. He was married five times. Every MASH castmate described him as generous and open-minded. The audience spent five years despising his most famous character, and mostly never found out.
Final Chapter
He died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center following surgery two years earlier to remove a lung tumor. Mike Farrell told reporters he was shaken by the news. Alan Alda delivered the eulogy at his funeral service. His ashes were scattered at sea off Bodega Bay, California. Variety and Playbill ran obituaries noting his stage career alongside his television work.