Why did Wayne Rogers leave MASH? Death Cause, Net Worth

• Wayne Rogers was an American actor known for his role in the TV series “M*A*S*H”
• He quit the show after three seasons and focussed on stock market and other investments
• He was an only child and attended Princeton University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1954
• Before becoming an actor, he served in the US Navy and received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005
• He passed away in 2015 due to pneumonia complications

Known for movies

M*A*S*H (1972-1978)
as Capt. 'Trapper John' McIntyre / Man on P.A. in Kim

House Calls (1979-1982)
as Dr. Charley Michaels

Cool Hand Luke (1967)
as Gambler

Stagecoach West (1960-1961)
as Luke Perry

Wayne Rogers Wiki Bio

William Wayne McMillan Rogers III was born in Birmingham, Alabama USA, on 7 April 1933, so under the zodiac sign of Aries and holding American nationality – he was popular for his career of an actor, especially for his appearance in the very popular TV series “M*A*S*H”. He passed away in 2015.

Why did Wayne Rogers leave MASH?

While some people believe that Wayne was not getting along with the cast of “M*A*S*H” and that it served as his main reason for quitting, he was actually getting tired of acting and decided to leave the show. After he left it, he stopped acting and focused on other things such as the stock market and other investing.

Early life and education

Wayne spent his entire childhood in Birmingham, and was always somewhat secretive when it came to his parents, as he never wanted them involved in the media – he was an only child.

Wayne fell in love with acting at a very young age but once he started studying, he put his dreams aside and almost forgot about them. He attended Ramsay High School in Birmingham, and then The Webb School located in Bell Buckle, Tennessee – he continued his education at Princeton University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1954. Wayne was part of the Princeton Triangle Club, as well as the eating club Tiger Inn.

After he graduated from college, Wayne went on to serve in the US Navy before becoming an actor in 1959.

Career of an actor

Once he left the Navy, Wayne landed several roles in movies and TV series, such as “The Invaders”, “The F.B.I.”, “Have Gun Will Travel”, and numerous others. He appeared in the “Search for Tomorrow” soap opera in 1959, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1960 for his performance in the “Odds Against Tomorrow” film noir. He was part of the main cast in the “Stagecoach West” TV series, which aired on ABC from 1960 to 1961.

Wayne became popular mostly thanks to his role in the “M*A*S*H” TV series. He was initially supposed to audition for Hawkeye Pierce role, but was persuaded by the writers to play Trapper while Hawkeye would be played by Alan Alda. Wayne was satisfied with how the show was going, but wasn’t happy that his character wasn’t as popular as Hawkeye.

After talking to the writers, they made Trapper a thoracic surgeon which completely switched the attention from Hawkeye to Trapper – although that was what Wayne was looking for, he was sad for his friend Alan and eventually made things equal for both of them. Wayne was part of the series for three seasons before he left and quit acting.

Wayne received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

The most popular male actors in the world

The Ranker website has compiled a list of the most popular actors in the world judging by people’s votes. Many of the actors in the list are popular for numerous other things as well and some of them are singers, dancers, businessmen, and entrepreneurs. We are going to mention top five actors in the list:

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• Fifth place is held by Robert Anthony De Niro Jr who is also a producer and director, and has won numerous awards throughout the years. He is most popular for his roles in “The Godfather Part II”, “Taxi Driver”, “Goodfellas”, and “New York, New York”;
• Morgan Freeman is in fourth place, who is also a director and narrator – he gained recognition after starring in “The Shawshank Redemption” movie in 1994, while he is also popular for his roles in “The Dark Knight Trilogy”, “Seven”, and “Bruce Almighty”;
• In third place is Christian Bale, who is popular for drastically transforming his body for his roles – he has appeared in movies such as “American Psycho”, “Batman Begins”, “The Dark Knight”, and “The Dark Knight Rises”;
• Second place goes to Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio, who is also a producer and environmentalist – he is popular for his roles in “Titanic” (which made him famous), “Catch Me If You Can”, “Shutter Island”, and “The Great Gatsby”;
• Top place is held by Tom Hanks, who people voted as the best actor in the world – he is popular for his roles in “Turner & Hooch”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, “Forrest Gump”, “You’ve Got Mail”, “The Green Mile”, “Cast Away”, “Saving Private Ryan” and numerous other movies.

While Wayne was an actor of extraordinary skill, he is nowhere to be found in the Ranker’s list of the best male actors in the world.

Work after “M*A*S*H”

Wayne decided not to continue his career of an actor after he was done with “M*A*S*H”, and went on to become a money manager and an investor – he even appeared on the US House Committee on the Judiciary as a witness to testify about the 1933 Glass-Steagall Legislation Act. He became the board director of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. in August 2006, and was made the head of Wayne Rogers & Co. corporation.

Love life and relationships

Wayne was somewhat secretive throughout his life, as he was never the kind of person to share his personal matters with the public.

He met Mitzi McWhorter while he was still very young – Mitzi was an actress as well, and they instantly fell for one another after meeting on the set of a TV series. They exchanged their wedding vows in 1960, and Mitzi gave birth to two of their children – the marriage lasted until 1983 when they split for unknown reasons.

Wayne went on to marry again, to Amy Hirsh in 1988, and the two moved to live in Destin, Florida in 2001. Upon the start of their marriage, they both agreed not to have any children and Amy did not have any problems with Wayne having two kids from his former marriage.

Wayne didn’t talk about any other woman he had dated throughout his life.

Hobbies and other interests

Wayne might have appeared to be completely focused on his career of an actor as well as on his financial career, but he had numerous other interests.

Wayne was known in his close circle of friends as an entertainer and a person who loved making other people laugh – he enjoyed telling jokes and knew many. He was somewhat sporting and played tennis as well as billiards, and was a big lover of books – he was planning to write his own, but would always conclude he wasn’t good enough at writing. Wayne enjoyed travelling during his younger years, and spent more time travelling around Europe than around the US – his favorite country was Italy, and his favorite city was Rome.

Being an actor, Wayne was fond of watching movies as much as acting in them, but he never revealed his all-time favorite as he explained that he enjoyed the films as a whole.

Appearance and net worth

Wayne was 82 years old at the time of his death. He had gray hair and blue eyes while his height and weight were not known.

According to authoritative sources, his net worth was estimated to be more than $2 million at the time of his death.

All lives matter!!

— Wayne Rogers (@WayneRogers1) July 30, 2015

Death cause

Wayne Rogers died on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2015 in Los Angeles, California due to pneumonia complications – he was 82. Exactly one year later, William Christopher died – William was part of the “M*A*S*H” cast as well.

Social media presence

Wayne was not that active on the internet, but he had a Twitter account which he launched in September 2009. Even after his death, his account is followed by nearly 2,800 people. while he had tweeted around 130 times – his last tweet was published on 30 July 2015 and reads ‘All lives matter!’.

Quotes

#	Quote
1	[on the pilot for Stagecoach West (1960)] As soon as I saw it, I thought: "This is really bad" and caught the next plane back to New York.
2	[discussing his contract dispute, after leaving M*A*S*H (1972)] They sue, you countersue. It's business.
3	[on leaving the sitcom M*A*S*H (1972) in retrospect] If I had known that the show was gonna run that long, I probably would have kept my mouth shut and stayed put.
4	Somebody once told me I shouldn't try to change Hollywood. That isn't my point at all. I don't want Hollywood to change me.

Facts

#	Fact
1	He is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
2	Wayne Rogers' role as Trapper John McIntyre on "MASH" was among the most beloved characters on one of the most popular TV shows of all time. He died on a New Year's eve, Thursday, December 31, 2015, at age 82. The actor was surrounded by family when he died in Los Angeles, CA, of complications from pneumonia, his publicist and longtime friend Rona Menace reported. Rogers' U.S.Army surgeon Trapper John was one of the most beloved characters, and half of one of the most beloved duos, in TV history, despite the actor's appearing in only the first three of the series eleven seasons on CBS-TV. The two skilled doctors blew off steam between surgeries by pulling pranks, romancing nurses and tormenting their tentmate, Frank Burns, always with an endless supply of booze and one-liners at the ready. In one classic moment, Trapper reaches out as though he's checking for rain and says, "Hmm, feels like it's going to martini," as Hawkeye promptly passes him a drink. And in another line that typified the show's ethos, Trapper answers a question with "How should I know? I dropped out of school to become a doctor." Rogers was on "MASH" from 1972 to 1975, becoming one of many original cast members to leave the wildly popular show that lasted until 1983. He was initially considered for Alda's character, but he preferred Trapper's sunnier disposition to Hawkeye's darkly acerbic personality. The characters were essentially equals when the show began, but the series increasingly focused on Alda, which was a factor in Rogers' departure. Two other actors played Trapper in other incarnations. Elliot Gould was the same character in the "MASH" feature film that preceded the TV show, and Pernell Roberts played the title character in the 1980s spinoff television drama "Trapper John, M.D." An Alabama native and Princeton graduate, Rogers had parts on many short-lived shows before "MASH," specializing in westerns such as "Law of the Plainsman" and "Stagecoach West." He had a bit part in the 1967 feature film "Cool Hand Luke" with Paul Newman. In years after "MASH", he returned to TV regularly with a recurring role in the early 1990s on CBS's mystery series "Murder, She Wrote." Rogers moved beyond acting to see success later in life as a money manager and investor. In 1988 and 1990, he appeared as an expert witness before the House Judiciary Committee to speak in favor of maintaining the Glass-Steagall banking act of the 1930s. In recent years he was a regular panelist on the Fox Business News stock investment show "Cashin' In." Rogers is survived by his wife, Amy; two children, Bill and Laura; and four grandchildren..
3	Good friends with Alan Alda.
4	Survived by his wife Amy Hirsh Rogers, two children Bill and Laura by his first marriage, and four grandchildren Alexander, Daniel, William and Anais.
5	Owns three homes: in Los Angeles, California, Destin, Florida, and Deer Valley, Utah.
6	Authored the book "Make Your Own Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success" (2001). This is a business book on how to succeed in business peppered with personal anecdotes.
7	Has been the managing director of the Stop-N-Save convenience food chains in Tallahasse, Florida, for almost 10 years. [August 2003]
8	Was one of three investors in the Kleinfeld bridal store in New York City and created a chain of bridal stores with initial outlets in Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.
9	Chairman and president of Wayne Rogers & Co., a stock trading investment company.
10	Chairman of the Board and co-owner, with Ronnie Rothstein, of "Kleinfeld Bridal".
11	He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, on December 13, 2005.
12	After leaving M*A*S*H (1972), he turned down the lead role on the television series Trapper John, M.D. (1979) because he did not want to be typecast as a doctor on television. Ironically, he accepted a role as a doctor shortly thereafter on another television series, House Calls (1979).
13	Described M*A*S*H (1972) co-star McLean Stevenson as being "one of the funniest men I had ever met", fondly recalling in an interview one day on the set wherein Stevenson had been goofing around with a fly swatter.
14	In addition to the disputes about contracts, he says he also left M*A*S*H (1972) because he felt the writers were not giving Trapper John any character development. Specifically, he did not like how the Trapper John character began and ended the movie with the same role significance as Hawkeye (e.g., Trapper John was brought into the movie because the unit needed a "chest cutter") but deteriorated in role significance as the TV show progressed.
15	Was the second actor to play the "M*A*S*H" character Trapper John McIntyre, the first one being Elliott Gould in the film MASH (1970) and the third one being Pernell Roberts on the television series Trapper John, M.D. (1979).
16	Graduated with a history degree in 1954 from Princeton University, where he was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club, and served in the United States Navy before becoming an actor.
17	Attended Ramsay High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated from the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
18	When he left M*A*S*H (1972) in 1975, he was sued for breach of contract, but the case was thrown out because he had no contract. Producers wanted him to sign a morality clause, in which he could be suspended or fired at any time, and he refused because he wanted the same privilege regarding the producers.

Pictures

All pictures

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
Nobody Knows Anything!	2003		Gun Schnook
Miracle Dogs	2003	TV Movie	Dr. Marchant
Three Days of Rain	2002		Business Man
Frozen with Fear	2001		Charles Sullivan
Coo Coo Cafe	2000
Love Lies Bleeding	1999		Inspector Abberline
Diagnosis Murder	1997	TV Series	Dr. Ken Morrisay
Ghosts of Mississippi	1996		Morris Dees
Murder, She Wrote	1993-1995	TV Series	Charlie Garrett
The Larry Sanders Show	1994	TV Series	Wayne Rogers
The Goodbye Bird	1993		Ray Whitney
Miracle Landing	1990	TV Movie	Bob Schornstheimer
Passion and Paradise	1989	TV Movie	Raymond Schindler
High Risk	1988	TV Series	Host
Bluegrass	1988	TV Movie	Lowell Shipleigh
Drop-Out Mother	1988	TV Movie	Jack Cromwell
The Killing Time	1987		Jake Winslow
American Harvest	1987	TV Movie	Walter Duncan
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	1986	TV Series	George Thrash
One Terrific Guy	1986	TV Movie	Mr. Brennan
The Gig	1985		Marty Flynn
I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later	1985	TV Movie	Tony Nelson
The Lady from Yesterday	1985	TV Movie	Craig Weston
He's Fired, She's Hired	1984	TV Movie	Alex Grier
Chiefs	1983	TV Mini-Series	Will Henry Lee
House Calls	1979-1982	TV Series	Dr. Charley Michaels
The Hot Touch	1981		Danny Fairchild
Top of the Hill	1980	TV Movie	Michael Stone
Once in Paris...	1978		Michael Moore
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery	1978	TV Movie	Vic Tannehill
It Happened One Christmas	1977	TV Movie	George Hatch
Having Babies II	1977	TV Movie	Lou Plotkin
The November Plan	1977	TV Movie	Jake Axminster
City of Angels	1976	TV Series	Jake Axminster
M*A*S*H	1972-1975	TV Series	Capt. 'Trapper John' McIntyre / Man on P.A. in Kimpo
Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan	1975	TV Movie	Dan Foster
Barnaby Jones	1973	TV Series	Gil Atkens
Pocket Money	1972		Stretch Russell
Doomsday Machine	1972		Press man
The F.B.I.	1966-1971	TV Series	Jim Wade / Bryan Carlson / Ronnie Brimlow / ...
Cannon	1971	TV Series	Steve
Men at Law	1971	TV Series	DA Tom Yorba
WUSA	1970		Minter
Lancer	1968	TV Series	Jed Lewis
The Big Valley	1968	TV Series	Don Jarvis
Cool Hand Luke	1967		Gambler
The Invaders	1967	TV Series	Police Lt. John Mattson
Shane	1966	TV Series	Jim Greevey
Chamber of Horrors	1966		Police Sgt. Jim Albertson
12 O'Clock High	1966	TV Series	Lieutenant Fredricks
Combat!	1966	TV Series	Reiser
The Fugitive	1966	TV Series	Sgt. Fred Bragin
The Long, Hot Summer	1965-1966	TV Series	Curley Beeman
Honey West	1965	TV Series	Jerry, the Photographer
My Brother the Angel	1965	TV Series
Gunsmoke	1959-1965	TV Series	Stretch Morgan / Brack / Tom
The Glory Guys	1965		Lt. Mike Moran
Death Valley Days	1965	TV Series	Lt. Richard H. Pratt
Gomer Pyle: USMC	1964	TV Series	Captain
Dr. Sex	1964		Raincoat Man (uncredited)
Arrest and Trial	1963	TV Series	Harold Waggner
The Great Adventure	1963	TV Series	Tombs
Have Gun - Will Travel	1963	TV Series	Daniel Powers
Alfred Hitchcock Presents	1962	TV Series	Kenneth
The Dick Powell Theatre	1962	TV Series	John Bowers
Stagecoach West	1960-1961	TV Series	Luke Perry
Johnny Ringo	1960	TV Series	Charlie Hanford
Law of the Plainsman	1959-1960	TV Series	Deputy Billy Lordan / Frank Anderson
The Millionaire	1960	TV Series	Allan Merrick
Wanted: Dead or Alive	1960	TV Series	Ash Langford
Zane Grey Theater	1959	TV Series	Frank Sanders
Odds Against Tomorrow	1959		Soldier in Bar
Search for Tomorrow	1951	TV Series	Slim Davis (1959)

Soundtrack

Title	Year	Status	Character
M*A*S*H		TV Series 2 episodes, 1974 performer - 6 episodes, 1972 - 1975
Stagecoach West	1960	TV Series performer - 1 episode

Producer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Nobody Knows Anything!	2003	producer
Money Play$	1998	TV Movie executive producer / producer
The Charlie Rose Special	1997	TV Movie executive producer
Night of the Twisters	1996	TV Movie executive producer - as Wayne M. Rogers
Perfect Witness	1989	TV Movie executive producer
The Astro-Zombies	1968	executive producer
Dr. Sex	1964	producer - as Juan Rogero

Writer

Title	Year	Status	Character
House Calls	1981-1982	TV Series written by - 2 episodes
The Astro-Zombies	1968	screenplay
Dr. Sex	1964	as Juan Rogero

Director

Title	Year	Status	Character
House Calls	1981-1982	TV Series 3 episodes

Thanks

Title	Year	Status	Character
M*A*S*H	1978	TV Series special thanks - 1 episode

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
Cashin' In	2012-2015	TV Series	Himself - Panelist
The Willis Report	2015	TV Series	Himself - Chairman, Wayne Rogers & Company
Cavuto on Business	2012-2014	TV Series	Himself / Himself (segment "Biz Blitz") / Himself (segment " Biz Blitz") / ...
Justice w/Judge Jeanine	2013	TV Series	Himself - CEO, Wayne Rogers & Co.
The View	2011	TV Series	Himself - Guest
The 7th Annual TV Land Awards	2009	TV Special	Himself
The O'Reilly Factor	2005-2008	TV Series	Himself
Entertainment Tonight	2007	TV Series	Himself
TV Land Confidential	2005-2007	TV Series documentary	Himself / Himself - Interviewee
Your World w/ Neil Cavuto	2007	TV Series	Himself
CBS at 75	2003	TV Special documentary	Himself
Biography	1997-2003	TV Series documentary	Himself
'M*A*S*H': 30th Anniversary Reunion	2002	TV Movie documentary	Himself / Trapper John McIntyre
M*A*S*H: TV Tales	2002	TV Special documentary	Himself
E! True Hollywood Story	2000	TV Series documentary	Himself
TV Guide's Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals 3	2000	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Hollywood Squares	1999	TV Series	Himself
The 10th TV Academy Hall of Fame	1994	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Memories of M*A*S*H	1991	TV Movie documentary	Himself / Trapper John McIntyre
A Conversation with Dinah	1989	TV Series	Himself (1989)
We the People 200: The Constitutional Gala	1987	TV Movie	Himself - Performer
Fame, Fortune and Romance	1986	TV Series	Himself
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Billy Wilder	1986	TV Special documentary	Himself
Famous Lives	1983	TV Movie	Himself - Host
The 40th Annual Golden Globe Awards	1983	TV Special	Himself - Presenter: Best Motion Picture Drama
Making 'M*A*S*H'	1981	TV Movie documentary	Himself
Circus of the Stars #5	1980	TV Special documentary
The John Davidson Show	1980	TV Series	Himself
The Merv Griffin Show	1976-1980	TV Series	Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	1978-1980	TV Series	Himself
The Mike Douglas Show	1974-1980	TV Series	Himself - Actor / Himself - Co-Host
The Hollywood Squares	1974-1978	TV Series	Himself - Panelist
Dinah!	1974-1977	TV Series	Himself
Mitzi... Zings Into Spring	1977	TV Special	Himself
Circus of the Stars	1977	TV Special documentary	Himself - Performer
Gala de l'union	1976	TV Series	Himself
The Sonny and Cher Show	1976	TV Series	Himself / Various Characters
The Peter Marshall Variety Show	1976	TV Series	Himself
Cher	1975	TV Series	Himself
Celebrity Bowling	1975	TV Series	Himself
The Carol Burnett Show	1975	TV Series	Himself
The 1st Annual People's Choice Awards	1975	TV Special	Himself - Performer
Password All-Stars	1973	TV Series	Himself - Celebrity Contestant
KWHY-TV 22 Business News: Executive Summary	1964	TV Series	Himself
Here's Hollywood	1961	TV Series	Himself

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards	2016	TV Special	Himself - In Memoriam
22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards	2016	TV Special	Himself - In Memoriam
Cashin' In	2016	TV Series	Himself - Panelist
The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion	1993	TV Movie documentary	Himself
M*A*S*H	1978	TV Series	Capt. 'Trapper John' McIntyre

Awards

Won Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
2005	Star on the Walk of Fame	Walk of Fame	Television	Awarded on December 13, 2005 at 7018 Hollywood Blvd.

Nominated Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
2003	TV Land Award	TV Land Awards	Classic TV Doctor of the Year	M*A*S*H (1972)
1981	Golden Globe	Golden Globes, USA	Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical	House Calls (1979)