The 79-year-old star of M*A*S*H talks art, animals and Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan.

Loretta Swit has a soft spot for animals, of this she makes no secret.

“There is nothing as satisfying as the unconditional love you get from an animal,” she tells Zoomer. “It’s been proven that people who have pet companions live longer. Personally, I love when my little Yorkie climbs onto my bed and licks me awake. I think it’s a blessed way to live.”

There was a time when the 79-year-old with the megawatt smile and golden locks was best known for her iconic role as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on M*A*S*H, one of the top-rated series of all time during the heyday of can’t-miss “appointment television.” Yet, while Swit continues to tread the boards with a thriving stage career, she’s just as celebrated for her activist heart as she is for her award-winning acting.

For 11 seasons (1972-1983), Swit starred in the darkly comic series that followed a team of doctors stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War. The series was developed by writer-director Larry Gelbart and adapted from the 1970 film of the same name and Richard Hooker’s 1968 novel, MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The series finale, which aired on February 28, 1983 remains the most-watched single episode of television in history with more than $125 million viewers.

“Every single day working on that set was a joy,” she recalls.

Now Swit, hailed as a “champion of the animal kingdom,” recently collaborated with designer Mies Hora on a book featuring more than 65 pieces of her watercolour paintings and photographs called SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry & Animal Activism of Loretta Swit, with proceeds going directly to her non-profit SwitHeart Animal Alliance. “The proceeds are funneled through there to all the shelters and foundations that need our help,” she explains. “Growing up, I thought everybody [helped animals]. But as an adult I realized that wasn’t the case so I thought, ‘Well, I have to.'”

And Swit has shown no signs of slowing down, starring in critically-lauded theatre productions across North America and using her fame to help generate funds to raise awareness for animals across the globe (she’s also the vice president of Actors & Others for Animals, a California-based non-profit).

“Millions [of animals are euthanized across North America] because people don’t know or care enough about spaying and neutering, but we’re getting better [at raising awareness] and I see a light at the end of the tunnel,” she says. “I won’t stop working towards that end.”

We caught up with Loretta Swit to talk art, animals and ‘M*A*S*H.’ Click through to read the full Q&A.

A peek inside “SwitHeart”—Loretta Swit’s wild life with wildlife.

On her passion for painting…
“I’ve always been artistic and grew up doing lots of doodles and drawings. When I was six years old there was an art contest in a children’s magazine and I talked my mom into submitting one of my pieces and I won! (laughs) That did a lot to further my interest in art and bolster my confidence. However, I’d always wanted to be an actor and never actually considered taking up painting as a career. So, I’m untrained. I never studied it in school and, in a way, I’m very glad and proud of that because I’ve seen my work grow through the years by trial and error. I’ve developed my own style. I do a lot of theatre which frees me during the day which is wonderful, so I have a lot of time to indulge myself and do something I love.”

On the Jack Russell terrier that graces the cover of her SwitHeart book…
“Painting eyes is always a challenge. I love that you [called his eyes] ‘soulful’ because my publisher and I immediately went to that Jack Russell as a cover. He was so direct, looking right at you and saying ‘Buy me, help me.’ He’s a Bideawee rescue [a 114-year-old New York-based pet welfare organization]. They happen to be one of my favourite charities. I recently gave them five beautiful puppies from two young folks who didn’t understand spaying and neutering. [The staff at Bideawee] cleaned them up, gave them shots, socialized them and found them ‘forever homes.’ But we don’t always have such a happy ending. There are millions of animals out there, no thanks to puppy mills and the like. We have millions of animals euthanized in North America every year. Millions! [And it’s] because people don’t know or care enough about spaying and neutering, but we’re getting better and I see a light at the end of the tunnel. But I won’t stop working towards that end.”

On where she developed her affinity for watercolor…
“Who knows? (laughs) I didn’t know any better. Other artists would always say to me, ‘My God! You’ve picked the most difficult medium!’ But I just tell everybody it’s like the ‘Bumblebee Theory.’ According to aeronautical statistics, the measurements and weight of a bumblebee should not allow it to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes ahead and flies anyway. Well, I didn’t know any better and thought ‘This is life and I love watercolour.’ I’ve developed my own way of using it and I wouldn’t fancy trying anything else. I love the textures I can create with watercolours. There’s something fragile and almost translucent about it, and I’ve had people assume my work is acrylic or oil but it’s only because I’ve used heavy layers of watercolouring. I like that flexibility and the different looks you can get from watercolour. My pieces are mostly of animals because it dovetails into selling the paintings to help my cause and raise money. Also, it invites commissions from people who want their animals immortalized in watercolour. I love being challenged by an animal. A goat, for example, has so much texture in its horns. And I recently finished a portrait of an orange tiger tabby and he had a little ID dangling from his collar which allowed me to achieve the look of shiny metal. Little things like that I’ve come to appreciate.”

On Actors & Others for Animals’ Pet Assisted Therapy Programs…
“We have Pets for Vets [where] we match up a veteran with a pet and it’s almost like helping create a little marriage. It’s a beautiful program that allows us to rescue two hearts and souls and put them together. There is nothing as satisfying as the unconditional love you get from an animal. The American Medical Association (AMA) has said that there’s no medicine that can do better than what these animals do for patients—that unconditional love is something that medicine can’t provide. It’s been proven that people who have pet companions live longer. A lot of patients know that the [nursing home] is going to be their last home and a working animal is a boon for someone like that. There’s this famous quote, and I forget who said it, but it goes: ‘I would love to be the person my dog thinks I am.’ (laughs) They make you feel like you invented the wheel and it’s a great feeling to have about yourself. Life can be harsh and so many of us don’t love and respect ourselves, yet there’s this little creature licking your face, telling you that you’re better than just alright—you’re really terrific.”

On receiving the Betty White Award from Actors & Others for Animals…
“It was very special and a big surprise. I’m vice president of the organization and they very cleverly never let on that this was in the works. I was overwhelmed, to tell you the truth. It was a big day for me. Betty White and I have been friends for years—we’ve been on campaigns together and she has truly been a blockbuster when it comes to animal rights and fighting for their wellbeing. And I adore her personally, so it was quite wonderful.”

On her book about needlepoint…
“Doubleday read somewhere that I was involved in charities and that one of the ways I would raise funds at auctions was to sell my needlepoint work so they asked me if I wanted to do a how-to book. It’s called A Needlepoint Scrapbook (1986). I had a more interesting title, I think it was A Stitch in Time, but the [publishers] thought it threw a left curve and they wanted ‘needlepoint’ in the title. You have to have the desire and the time to sit down and do needlepoint, but it’s very lovely and calming. You can socialize, as I used to do on set, and not lose track of a conversation. I had trouble reading a book on set because it takes me away from the character I’m playing or conversations with colleagues, so I used to do a lot of needlepoint. It’s incredible for me because I’ve brought all my passions together in a positive way. Like Angela Lansbury once said: ‘How wonderful that you’ve been able to take your passion and use it in such a positive way’ and that is really rewarding.”

The M*A*S*H cast, circa 1976.

On her fondest memories from the M*A*S*H set…
“I’ll tell you, every single day working on that set was a joy. That’s not to say it wasn’t hard work or tiring, but I’m saying it was pure joy. You were working on scripts that made people laugh and cry, and that is so essential. Art doesn’t stand on its own—it has to be loved, appreciated and consumed. In a medium that is very commercial we were able to do something substantial and meaningful. For a television series to be given the Humanitas Prize [for 1976 episode ‘The Interview‘] is pretty damn wonderful. There was never a bad day. You get to spend the day with your best friends, your family.”

On her input about the character development for Major Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan…
“We all had input. We were a group—I’m talking production, crew, actors—and we all wanted the same thing. When you’re pulling for the same goal you’re in tune with each other. We would have rehearsal days to work out any script snags and we unselfishly thought of M*A*S*H as the real star, not any one person. It was about doing the best representation of that show that we could. There’s this sense of comradeship to make the best product we can. You should want and encourage input and sharing.”

On shooting the series finale, ‘Goodbye, Farewell and Amen’ (1983)…
“It was not technically our last [filmed[ episode—it was actually done in segments because we’d had a very large brush fire at the ranch where we were filming so we had to shoot around it. One of the last pieces we filmed, though, was the [second-last] episode with the time capsule [‘As Time Goes By’]. That’s where we pulled the plug and Burt Metcalf, our executive producer, yelled ‘That’s a wrap!’ And it was a wrap—forever. Champagne corks flew out of bottles and fountains of champagne drizzled everywhere. However, throughout the show, while filming those last two episodes, we all knew it was near the end. The time capsule episode fit in because the M*A*S*H [cast] wanted to bury little mementos of ourselves and it was bittersweet because we were leaving a part of ourselves behind so it mirrored our characters. It needed to be over and, at the same time, it was heartbreaking because you knew you weren’t going to see your favourite people every single day anymore. It was the end of an era.”

On M*A*S*H‘s syndication…
(laughs) “It hasn’t ever been off the air! It’s a little overwhelming. I think sometimes, ‘My God! I’ve been on the air now for 45 years!’ It’s wonderful, though, but also incomprehensible. We went into syndication for the first time in season three and we never stopped being on the air. Every decade brings in a whole new generation of fans. M*A*S*H brought families together. They watched it as a family and appreciated it on so many different levels. A 10-year-old watching Klinger [played by Jamie Farr] wouldn’t understand why he was doing crazy things but they’d laugh at him because he was doing crazy things. But when they were 20 years old they laughed with him and for an entirely different reason. It was about rediscovering the inner workings of these characters. Television does that—you come inside a person’s bedroom or kitchen or living room during ‘M*A*S*H Bashes’, so we’re family to a lot of people, globally.”

On the series’ 45th anniversary in 2017…
“We’re losing our members. We’ve lost McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, Harry Morgan, Wayne Rogers and we’ve most recently lost William Christopher [December 31, 2016]. Those are five major featured players. If we reunited now it would probably be to talk about them and how extraordinary they were. During Bill Christopher’s funeral we talked about how well cast he was in his role. He was angelic and had a goodness about him—so saintly, in a way. Just a really good human being. He was the perfect role model for a priest; he was right on the money. He was human, he was funny and he was holy—but he was never holier than thou. He was beautiful and we were all crazy about him and it was a big loss losing Bill.”

On her thriving career in theatre…
“I’ve never left the stage. M*A*S*H interrupted a lot of my stage work, but I never stopped doing theatre. During one hiatus [in filming] I was on Broadway with Same Time, Next Year [1975] and then again with The Mystery of Edwin Drood [1985]. I have toured extensively in Canada and played in Shirley Valentine [1995] across North America. When Canada still had Stage West Mississauga I took part in a beautiful production of Shirley Valentine [2010]. It was an amazing experience. I’ve spent a lot of time in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal—Canada really has been an old stomping ground for a really long time. I’m anxious to get back there. We’re forming a tour of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks and we’re looking to get it booked all over Canada because I know your audiences will love it. It’s such a beautiful piece of theatre. I could stay in Toronto for months, I don’t care what the weather is like, I just love Toronto. (laughs) To me it’s like a Canadian New York and I love New York. I like to think the one [stage] role I most want to play hasn’t been written yet.”