Gary Burghoff

Description

Gary Burghoff (born May 24, 1943 in Bristol, Connecticut) is an American actor, best known for playing the character Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the M*A*S*H series and Charlie Brown in the 1967 off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. <p>Burghoff got his start in both acting and drumming during his high school years in Delavan, Wisconsin. Episode 24 Season 1 of the M*A*S*H television series titled Showtime features Radar playing a solo on the drums. It is a misconception that the sound was dubbed in; it is actually Gary Burghoff's performance.<p>Born with a club foot and four short fingers on his left hand, Burghoff uses props to deflect attention from this: in Charlie Brown he had a baseball glove on that hand most of the time, and in the M*A*S*H television series, he often had a clipboard or other prop. He left M*A*S*H after season 7 because of burnout and a desire to spend more time with his family, though he returned in season 8 to film a special 2-part...