Celebrity News April 04, 2023
Judy Farrell of 'M*A*S*H' Dies at 84 — Was in Finale Seen by 105M
Judy Farrell, who played Nurse Able on eight episodes of "M*A*S*H" — and who appeared in its history-making finale — has died at 84 following a stroke.
THR reports she died Sunday at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center.
Unfortunately, multiple major outlets have published photos of Shelley Fabares, 79, asserting that they are of Farrell. Farrell was married from 1963-1983 to her "M*A*S*H" costar Mike Farrell, 84, while Fabares, an actress in her own right, is currently wed to Farrell, and has been for 39 years.
Judy's marriage to Mike was an Easter egg on "M*A*S*H," with a reference being made to his character B.J. Honeycutt's wife Peg having been born in Quapaw, Oklahoma, Judy's real-life hometown. B.J.'s daughter on "M*A*S*H" was named Erin, the same name as his daughter with Judy.
Judy Hayden was born May 11, 1938. She studied acting at UCLA, where she met her future husband, later working as a high school drama teacher.
Taking Farrell's name after their marriage, Judy made her TV debut on a 1969 episode of "Judd for the Defense," and appeared in the films "The Andromeda Strain" (1971), "J.W. Coop" (1971), and "Chapter Two" (1979).
Other series on which she guested include "Get Smart" (1969), "The Interns" (1970), "Medical Center" (1969 & 1972), "Emergency!" (1972), "Room 222" (1973), "The Rookies" (1973), "The Partridge Family" (1974), "Benson" (1981), "Fame" (1982-1983), and "Divorce Court" (1986).
Her final appearance on the big screen was in the 2006 film "Long-Term Relationship."
Farrell was a busy TV writer. Having written the 1982 TV movie "The Kid from Nowhere," directed by Beau Bridges and starring Bridges, Susan Saint James and Loretta Swit, she wrote an episode of "Fame" (1983), and settled in for more than 100 episodes of the soap opera "Port Charles" (1998-2003).
Judy Farrell is survived by her husband of more than 30 years Joe Bratcher, and by her children with Mike Farrell, son Michael and daughter Erin.