Death is an inevitable part of life. A lot of times we find the loss of celebrities we love just as heartbreaking as the death of someone we knew in life. The death of Judy Farrell is heartbreaking. Keep reading to learn more.
Judy Farrell played the role of Nurse Able on the hit show “M*A*S*H.” The actress was married to her co-star on the show Mike Farrell from 1963 until 1983. Mike played the role of the famous BJ Hunnicutt on the show, a series regular who appeared in 179 episodes.
Judy’s Nurse Able was featured in eight episodes of M*A*S*H, co-starring with Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, Loretta Switt as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, Jamie Farr as Maxwell Klinger, Gary Burghoff as Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly, and her first husband, Mike Farrell as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt, who had the role from seasons 4-11.
Though Judy and Mike never played a couple on the show–Hunnicutt was married to the character Peg, played by Catherine Bergstrom–their marriage was written into the episode The Colonel’s Horse, where Peg is said to be from a small town in Oklahoma called Quapaw, also Judy’s birthplace. Further references were made with Hunnicutt’s father-in-law, Floyd Hayden, Judy’s real-life father, and his on-screen daughter Erin, the name of the child he shares with Judy.
READ MORE
- Jake Harper from Two and a Half Men is all grown up – this is him today
- Former teen idol Leif Garrett’s life took a horrible downward spiral
- Why Elvis was ‘obsessed’ with this iconic actress
The show’s popularity never waned. The writer Alan Alda wanted to end the show on a high note instead of dragging it on. In 2017, he gave an interview where he said “I felt that we were running out of steam, and repeating ourselves,” adding, “And I personally wanted to go out on a high note, artistically.”
Judy Farrell’s death is heartbreaking for all the fans of the show. Her son Michael confirmed that his mother passed away on Sunday at the age of 84.
Farrell’s co-star on the show, Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan made a statement about her heartbreak about the loss.
Following the news of her death, Loretta Switt spoke with Fox News Digital and said, “Judy was a most beautiful woman–inside and out. We grew up together.” Switt continued, “She was family. This has been a painful loss, but we will always have the beauty of her memory. Rest in peace, Nurse Able.”
On M*A*S*H, the character Nurse Able was a generic name given to nurses who had brief appearances on the show and according to reports, multiple actors played the one role of Nurse Able.
But Judy is the actor who played her in the series finale Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen, which aired in 1983.
The goodbyes continued off-screen that year with Judy divorcing Mike, whom she met in 1961 while working on her master’s degree.
When she graduated, she worked as a high school teacher teaching drama and English at Laguna Beach High School–a school that gained notoriety after MTV documented the lives of students in its teen reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.
Before finding fame, Judy and Mike poured their love for acting into the local Laguna Playhouse, where they both spent free time working.
Judy and Mike married in 1963 and have two children, Erin and Mike.
Both inherited their parent’s love for film. Erin, now 63, works in Hollywood as a costume designer and is credited for dressing actors in many films. Her little brother Mike, born in 1970, appeared in a handful of films in the 1980’s.
After divorcing Mike in 1983, Judy then married actor Joe Bratcher, known for his roles in The Howling (1981) and Taking Care of Business (1990). In 1983, he also appeared in one episode of the TV series Remington Steele.
Judy’s TV credits include Get Smart, The Partridge Family and Quincy, M.E., Fame, and the General Hospital spinoff, the soap opera Port Charles. Judy was also featured in the films J.W. Coop (1971), Chapter Two (1979) and Long-Term Relationship (2006).
Judy was married to Bratcher, who is now 76, until her death.
We’re really sad to hear of Judy’s passing.
It is so heartbreaking to learn about the death of a celebrity we love. Our hearts go out to Judy Farrell’s family and friends who are going through this massive loss in their lives.
Share this with other M*A*S*H fans so they can offer their respects for Nurse Able as well.
