Rise to Fame
He didn't start acting until 31, and only because his second cousin once removed, two-time presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson II, dragged him to a party full of theater people. Before that, he'd been running Adlai's press operation. He spent two seasons on The Doris Day Show before M*A*S*H handed him Lt. Col. Henry Blake and a Golden Globe in 1974. He resented playing second banana to Alan Alda and told co-star Loretta Swit he had to leave and "be number one." The writers killed Henry Blake when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan on his way home. The character got a more memorable exit than anything he'd find afterward.
In the Spotlight
Four sitcoms. Four failures. Three of them while M*A*S*H was still on the air. The McLean Stevenson Show, In the Beginning, Hello, Larry, Condo: critics savaged them, audiences ignored them, and only Hello, Larry survived past one season. He guest-hosted The Tonight Show 58 times, proving he could carry a room but not a series. Critic David Bianculli created "The Annual McLean Stevenson Memorial 'I'm Gonna Quit This Show and Become a Big Star' Award." He saw it clearly himself: "I made the mistake of believing that people were enamored of McLean Stevenson when the person they were enamored of was Henry Blake."
Side Notes
He founded "Young Democrats for Stevenson" and ran press for two Adlai II campaigns before anyone thought of him as an actor. His great-great-uncle was Vice President Adlai Stevenson I. A political dynasty like that usually produces senators, not sitcom actors who leave the best show on television.
Final Chapter
He was recovering from bladder cancer surgery at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center. Roger Bowen, who played Henry Blake in the 1970 MASH film, died of a heart attack the following day. M*A*S*H writer Larry Gelbart said Stevenson had "left too soon twice in one lifetime."