Harry Morgan, who played the unforgettable Colonel Sherman Potter for eight seasons on MASH*, often spoke about how deeply the series had shaped his life.
But there’s one powerful moment from his final episode that reveals more about the man behind the character than most fans ever knew.
Harry Morgan wasn’t just an actor — he was a man who quietly changed the way millions saw kindness, leadership, and heart on screen. For eight unforgettable seasons, he brought to life Colonel Sherman T. Potter, the wise, warm, and no-nonsense leader who held the MASH* family together.
After decades of success, Morgan’s final wish wasn’t for fame or awards, it was something far simpler and more human. And there was also a beautiful detail in his final episode of MASH* that some fans might remember.
Wanted to be a lawyer
Born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit in 1915 to Swedish and Norwegian parents, Morgan never set out to be a Hollywood star.
He dreamed of becoming a lawyer, until the Great Depression forced him to drop out of college. While selling furniture in Washington, he began acting in local theater for fun… and it changed everything.
By 1937, he was performing in New York with The Group Theatre, alongside legends like Karl Malden and Elia Kazan. Broadway roles in Golden Boy and Thunder Rock followed, and soon, so did Hollywood.
When he first started acting, he went by “Henry Morgan,” but since that name was already taken, he settled on Harry Morgan.
Love of his life
In 1940, Morgan married Eileen Detchon, the love of his life. They had four sons and shared 44 beautiful years together.
While filming MASH*, he kept her photo on his character’s desk, a small, touching tribute that reflected how deeply he loved her.
When she passed away in 1985, it broke his heart.
The following year, he found companionship again with Barbara Bushman, whom he married in 1986. Their marriage lasted 25 years until his death in 2011.
Like any couple, they had struggles. One argument even led to a brief domestic dispute, after which Morgan underwent counseling.
His attorney later confirmed, “Harry Morgan completed a six-month counseling program for domestic violence and anger management, so the charge was dropped.”
Detail in final episode
Harry Morgan’s time on MASH* would forever define his legacy.
He joined the show as Colonel Potter after McLean Stevenson’s departure — though even he wasn’t sure why they wanted him.
“I don’t know just why they called me, to be perfectly frank,” he once admitted. “In the third year, I played a sort of crazy general in one episode, and they liked me.”
That “crazy general” became one of television’s most beloved characters. Morgan’s portrayal earned him an Emmy Award in 1980, and the series finale went on to become the most-watched episode in TV history.
One touching detail that continues to make fans smile years later comes from the very last episode, when Colonel Potter says goodbye to his horse, Sophie. What many didn’t know is that Sophie was actually Harry Morgan’s own horse, a sweet inside joke, as Morgan himself raised quarter horses on his ranch in Santa Rosa.
There’s no doubt that filming the final episode of MASH* was an emotional experience for Harry Morgan. Journalist and close friend Tom Sullivan was there that day in 1983 when the director called out, “Cut, that’s a wrap!” — marking the end of an era.
Morgan and Tom met by the table set with cake and drinks to celebrate the show’s conclusion. Tom looked at him and said, “Not such a great day, is it?”
“Worse than you know,” Morgan replied quietly.
“It’s been a wonderful run, but I’m 72 years of age and now I’m unemployed. Who is going to give me a job at this age?”
The role that made him “a better human being”
According to his friends and family, Harry Morgan never lost the Midwestern values he learned growing up in Michigan, even after appearing in more than 100 films and earning an Emmy Award. For instance, Harry Morgan never appeared as a guest on talk shows. It simply didn’t feel right to him.
“Appearing on a talk show to focus on himself because he was Harry Morgan was not nearly as natural as appearing in a role as Pete Porter or Bill Gannon or Col. Potter,” his son, Charles Morgan, explained in 2011.
When asked if MASH* made him a better person, he smiled and said:
“I don’t know about that, but it made me a better human being.”
Alan Alda, his longtime co-star, once said:
“He did not have an unadorable bone in his body.”
Morgan himself described Colonel Potter as:
“Firm. A good officer. And he had a good sense of humor. I think it’s the best part I ever had. I loved playing Colonel Potter.”
A final goodbye that still hurts
Harry Morgan’s final public appearance came during the MASH* 30th anniversary reunion in 2002. He passed away peacefully on December 7, 2011, at the age of 96, following a battle with pneumonia.
He once said he wanted to be remembered as “a pleasant person” who got along with others. And if you ask anyone who ever met him, that’s exactly what he was.
He once reflected on how he hoped to be remembered:
“For being a fairly pleasant person and for having gotten along for the most part with a lot of the people I’ve worked with. And for having a wonderful life and for having enjoyed practically every minute of it.”
Deeply symbolic goodbye
To many fans, it felt deeply symbolic that Colonel Potter, the embodiment of the American soldier, would leave this world on Pearl Harbor Day.
Co-actor Mike Farrell remembered him fondly, saying Morgan “was a wonderful man, a fabulous actor and a dear and close friend since the first day we worked together.”
Even after all these years, Morgan’s legacy hasn’t faded. From his deep laugh to his quiet dignity, he Harry remains one of television’s true gentlemen.
And thanks to reruns of MASH*, Harry Morgan’s spirit still lives on — calm, kind, and forever saluted!
READ MORE
- Little-known mistakes and bloopers in M*A*S*H
- Loretta Swit AKA “Hot Lips” Houlihan on ‘M*A*S*H’ dies at 87
