Wayne Rogers: Difference between revisions

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(1st swipe)
 
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Wayne M. Rogers''' (born April 7, [[1933]] in [[Birmingham]]) is an film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the long-running television series, ''M*A*S*H''.
'''Wayne M. Rogers''' (born April 7, [[1933]] in [[Birmingham]]) is an film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the long-running television series, ''M*A*S*H''.


Rogers is a graduate of the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. He also graduated from Princeton University with a history degree in [[1954]], and served in the U. S. Navy before becoming an actor. He has been married twice; first from 1960 to 1979 (fathering two children), then to Amy Hirsh, from 1988 to the present.
Rogers attended [[Ramsay High School]] in Birmingham, and is a graduate of the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. He also graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor of arts in history in [[1954]], and served in the U. S. Navy before becoming an actor.  


In the early 1960s, Rogers co-starred in the western TV series ''Stagecoach West'' in 1961.  He also appeared  in ''The F.B.I.'', ''Gunsmoke'', and ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'', and had a small role in the 1967 movie ''Cool Hand Luke''.  From [[1972]] to [[1975]] he co-starred with Alan Alda in the hit series ''M*A*S*H'', set in a mobile army surgical hospital in South Korea during the Korean War.


He succeeded [[Elliott Gould]], who had played the character in the movie, and was succeeded later by [[Pernell Roberts]] on the ''M*A*S*H'' [[spin-off]] ''[[Trapper John, M.D.]]''.  
Hw was expected at first to audition as Hawkeye Pierce, but found the character too cynical and asked instead to test as 'Trapper John', whose outlook was brighter. As conceived, Trapper and Hawkeye would have equal importance as characters, almost to the point of being interchangeable. Alda's popularity, however, led the producers to feature his character more heavily.


Prior to the role of 'Trapper John', Rogers appeared on television in ''[[The F.B.I.]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', and ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]'', and had a small role in the 1967 movie ''[[Cool Hand Luke]]''. He had also been a co-star in the western series ''[[Stagecoach West]]'' in 1961. Later he appeared as a Federal agent in the 1975 [[television movie]] ''[[Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan]]'', and as [[civil rights]] attorney [[Morris Dees]] in 1996's ''[[Ghosts of Mississippi]]''. He also starred in the 1979-1982 series ''[[House Calls]]'' with [[Lynn Redgrave]], and guest-starred five times on ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''. He  has served as an [[executive producer]] and producer in both [[television producer|television]] and [[film producer|film]], a [[screenwriter]], and a [[television director|director]].
After three seasons, Rogers grew weary of his character's demotion to sidekick and decided to leave the show. He was sued for breach of contract, but the case was dismissed when it was discovered that he never actually signed the contract over a disputed "morals clause". On the show, his role character was replaced by B. J. Hunicutt (played by Mike Farrell). Pernell Roberts and Timothy Busfield later resurrected the Trapper John character in the spin off ''Trapper John, M.D.'' (1979-1986)


== ''M*A*S*H'' ==
After ''M*A*S*H'', Rogers starred in the 1979-1982 series ''House Calls'' with Lynn Redgrave, and made numerous guest appearances. He played civil rights attorney Morris Dees in the 1996 film ''Ghosts of Mississippi''. He also has served as a director, screenwriter, producer and executive producer.
When Rogers was first approached for ''M*A*S*H'', he was expected to audition as Hawkeye Pierce. However, he found the character to be too cynical and asked to instead test as 'Trapper John', whose outlook was brighter. Rogers was initially told that Trapper and Hawkeye would have equal importance as characters, almost to the point of being interchangeable. This changed after [[Alan Alda]], whose career and résumé already outshone that of Rogers, was cast as Hawkeye, and proved more popular with the viewing audience. Rogers did enjoy working with Alda and the cast as a whole (fondly remembering in an interview how he and Alda would drive out to the set together and discuss their dreams as they went along), but eventually chafed at the fact the writers were devoting the show's best moments (both humorous and dramatic) to Alda. The earliest sign of change was when the writers took the liberty of making Hawkeye a thoracic surgeon in the episode "Dear Dad" [[December 17]], [[1972]], even though Trapper was the unit's only thoracic surgeon on both the movie and novel. Rogers felt the writers had stripped Trapper of his credentials.


After three seasons, Rogers grew weary of Trapper being treated as more of a sidekick than an equal, and decided to leave the show (as had [[McLean Stevenson]], who had played Colonel Blake). He also disliked the "morals clause" in his contract, which stated he could be suspended or fired if he did anything the producers found objectionable, and refused to accept it unless they signed a similar clause for him. When Rogers left ''M*A*S*H'' he was sued for breach of contract. The case was later dismissed when it was revealed that he had never even signed in the first place due to the clause issue.
After retiring from acting, Rogers has had success as an investor, founding his own Wayne M. Rogers & Co. investment firm. He has appeared regularly as an analyst for the FOX News program "Cashin' In". He serves on the board sof directors for SandStar Family Entertainment, Stop-N-Save LLC, Kleinfeld, and Vishay Intertechnology, an Israeli electronics manufacturer.


Rogers admitted later he regretted leaving ''M*A*S*H'' in light of how long it stayed in production: "If I had known it would run that long [eleven seasons], I probably would have kept my mouth shut and stayed put." (Former cast member [[McLean Stevenson]] later echoed Rogers' statements as well).
He co-founded the Plaza Bank of Commerce in San Jose, California, and is marketing director for the Premier Community Bank of the Emerald Coast in Crestview, Florida. He has served as the national chairman of Easter Seals and has worked with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation.


Since retiring from acting, Rogers has launched a successful career as an [[investor]] and is a regular analyst on the [[FOX News]] financial program ''[[Cashin' In]]''. 
Rogers has been married twice; first from 1960 to 1979 (fathering two children), then to Amy Hirsh, from 1988 to the present.
 
In August 2006, Rogers was elected to the Board of Directors of [[Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.]], a Fortune 1000 manufacturer of semiconductors and electronic components.


== External links ==
== External links ==
Line 25: Line 23:
[[Category:1933 births|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:1933 births|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Living people|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Living people|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Ramsay graduates|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Actors|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Actors|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Alabama Walk of Fame|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:Alabama Walk of Fame|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:U. S. Navy|Rogers, Wayne]]
[[Category:United States Navy|Rogers, Wayne]]

Revision as of 14:48, 7 December 2006

Wayne M. Rogers (born April 7, 1933 in Birmingham) is an film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the long-running television series, M*A*S*H.

Rogers attended Ramsay High School in Birmingham, and is a graduate of the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. He also graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor of arts in history in 1954, and served in the U. S. Navy before becoming an actor.

In the early 1960s, Rogers co-starred in the western TV series Stagecoach West in 1961. He also appeared in The F.B.I., Gunsmoke, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and had a small role in the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke. From 1972 to 1975 he co-starred with Alan Alda in the hit series M*A*S*H, set in a mobile army surgical hospital in South Korea during the Korean War.

Hw was expected at first to audition as Hawkeye Pierce, but found the character too cynical and asked instead to test as 'Trapper John', whose outlook was brighter. As conceived, Trapper and Hawkeye would have equal importance as characters, almost to the point of being interchangeable. Alda's popularity, however, led the producers to feature his character more heavily.

After three seasons, Rogers grew weary of his character's demotion to sidekick and decided to leave the show. He was sued for breach of contract, but the case was dismissed when it was discovered that he never actually signed the contract over a disputed "morals clause". On the show, his role character was replaced by B. J. Hunicutt (played by Mike Farrell). Pernell Roberts and Timothy Busfield later resurrected the Trapper John character in the spin off Trapper John, M.D. (1979-1986)

After M*A*S*H, Rogers starred in the 1979-1982 series House Calls with Lynn Redgrave, and made numerous guest appearances. He played civil rights attorney Morris Dees in the 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi. He also has served as a director, screenwriter, producer and executive producer.

After retiring from acting, Rogers has had success as an investor, founding his own Wayne M. Rogers & Co. investment firm. He has appeared regularly as an analyst for the FOX News program "Cashin' In". He serves on the board sof directors for SandStar Family Entertainment, Stop-N-Save LLC, Kleinfeld, and Vishay Intertechnology, an Israeli electronics manufacturer.

He co-founded the Plaza Bank of Commerce in San Jose, California, and is marketing director for the Premier Community Bank of the Emerald Coast in Crestview, Florida. He has served as the national chairman of Easter Seals and has worked with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation.

Rogers has been married twice; first from 1960 to 1979 (fathering two children), then to Amy Hirsh, from 1988 to the present.

External links

Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Wayne_Rogers&oldid=13247"