Roger Bowen
Encyclopedia
Roger Bowen was an American
comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film MASH
. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series. His successful acting career aside, Bowen always considered himself a writer who only moonlighted as an actor. He wrote eleven novels (including Just Like a Movie) as well as sketches for Broadway and television. He was also one of the co-founders of Chicago's famed comedy and acting troupe The Second City
.
Bowen was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts
. He said he was writing theater reviews for the University of Chicago
student newspaper when he was asked to pen material for an improvisational troupe that included Alan Arkin
and Mike Nichols
. The troupe, Compass Players
, evolved into The Second City
. Bowen spent most of the 1960s playing "preppie" types on a number of TV & radio commercials. His first film role was 1968's Petulia
, but his big movie break came in 1970, when he created the role of lackadaisical Blake in the 1970 Robert Altman
cult film MASH.
While it was another veteran of TV commercials, McLean Stevenson
, who would play Colonel Blake’s role on the long-running M*A*S*H television series, Roger Bowen already had solid exposure in the early 1970s. After MASH, Bowen gained a fan following as "Hamilton Majors Jr.", the pleasantly snooty and supportive Ivy League boss of Herschel Bernardi
on the TV sitcom Arnie
(1970–72).
After Arnie, Bowen joined the cast of The Brian Keith Show
, then returned to commercials and movie cameo roles, showing up briefly in such films as Heaven Can Wait
, The Main Event
and Zapped!
.
In the early 1980s, Bowen enjoyed another round of weekly TV work with recurring roles on House Calls
, At Ease, and Suzanne Pleshette is Maggie Briggs. He made his final film appearance in the Bill Murray
and Richard Dreyfuss
film What About Bob?
.
He was a tournament chess player who participated in events in the Los Angeles area in the 1970s.
came one day after the death of Stevenson. Because of this, Bowen's family did not report his death to the media until a week afterward, so that it would not be dismissed as a garbled version of Stevenson's obituary.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film MASH
Mash
-Military:* Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, a United States Army medical unit serving in a combat area of operations-Entertainment:* MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker** MASH , a 1970 dark comedy based on the novel...
. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series. His successful acting career aside, Bowen always considered himself a writer who only moonlighted as an actor. He wrote eleven novels (including Just Like a Movie) as well as sketches for Broadway and television. He was also one of the co-founders of Chicago's famed comedy and acting troupe The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
.
Bowen was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States and is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers, Attleboro had a population of 42,068 at the 2000 census, and a population of 43,645 as of...
. He said he was writing theater reviews for the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
student newspaper when he was asked to pen material for an improvisational troupe that included Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
and Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
. The troupe, Compass Players
Compass Players
The Compass Players was a 1950s cabaret revue show started by alumni, dropouts and hangers-on from the University of Chicago. The troupe was active from 1955-1958 in Chicago and St. Louis...
, evolved into The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
. Bowen spent most of the 1960s playing "preppie" types on a number of TV & radio commercials. His first film role was 1968's Petulia
Petulia
Petulia is a British drama film directed by Richard Lester. The screenplay by Lawrence B. Marcus is based on the novel Me and the Arch Kook Petulia by John Haase...
, but his big movie break came in 1970, when he created the role of lackadaisical Blake in the 1970 Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
cult film MASH.
While it was another veteran of TV commercials, McLean Stevenson
McLean Stevenson
Edgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. , better known as McLean Stevenson, was an American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series M*A*S*H...
, who would play Colonel Blake’s role on the long-running M*A*S*H television series, Roger Bowen already had solid exposure in the early 1970s. After MASH, Bowen gained a fan following as "Hamilton Majors Jr.", the pleasantly snooty and supportive Ivy League boss of Herschel Bernardi
Herschel Bernardi
Herschel Bernardi was an American film, Broadway, and television actor....
on the TV sitcom Arnie
Arnie (TV series)
Arnie was a television sitcom that ran for two seasons on the CBS network. It starred Herschel Bernardi, Sue Ane Langdon, and Roger Bowen....
(1970–72).
After Arnie, Bowen joined the cast of The Brian Keith Show
The Brian Keith Show
The Brian Keith Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1972 to March 1974. The series stars Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares.-Synopsis:...
, then returned to commercials and movie cameo roles, showing up briefly in such films as Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)
Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
, The Main Event
The Main Event
The term main event typically refers to the championship fight at a combat-sport event, the most prestigious match on the card.The Main Event may also refer to:-Film and television:...
and Zapped!
Zapped!
Zapped! is a 1982 teen sex comedy starring Scott Baio as a teen who acquires telekinetic powers. The film is regarded as a parody of Carrie but also includes spoofs of The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Star Trek and the 1969 Kurt Russell film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.-Cast:Baio stars as Barney...
.
In the early 1980s, Bowen enjoyed another round of weekly TV work with recurring roles on House Calls
House Calls
House Calls might refer to:* Housecall, a visit at home from a doctor*House Calls , a 1978 motion picture that starred Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Art Carney and Richard Benjamin...
, At Ease, and Suzanne Pleshette is Maggie Briggs. He made his final film appearance in the Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
and Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
film What About Bob?
What About Bob?
What About Bob? is a 1991 comedy film directed by Frank Oz, and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a multiphobic psychiatric patient who follows his successful and egotistical psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin on vacation...
.
He was a tournament chess player who participated in events in the Los Angeles area in the 1970s.
Coincidental death
In a strange coincidence, Bowen's death of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
came one day after the death of Stevenson. Because of this, Bowen's family did not report his death to the media until a week afterward, so that it would not be dismissed as a garbled version of Stevenson's obituary.