Biography

Born in Minnesota, Mike Farrell was two years old when his family moved to LA; his father, a carpenter, had just gotten a lucrative movie-studio job. Exposed to showbiz from an early age, Farrell began acting in high school plays, hoping to pursue the theatre as a career. He was forced to put his thespic urges on the back burner during his hitch with the U.S. Marines, but upon being discharged he attended drama courses at Los Angeles City College and UCLA, and also studied at the Jeff Corey Workshop. He made his professional debut in a 1961 stage production of Rain, then spent several years playing bits in such films as Captain Newman MD (1963), The Graduate (1967) and Targets (1968). His first real break came in 1968, when he was cast as architect Scott Banning on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives. Two years later, he put his John Hancock on a contract with Universal, playing supporting roles in such prime-times series as The Interns (1969) and Man and the City (1971).

Unhappy with the type of roles offered him by his studio, Farrell asked for and received his release in 1975 when the opportunity came to audition for the popular sitcom M*A*S*H. Wayne Rogers had just left that top-rated series, leaving an opening in the category of "Hawkeye's Best Friend." Farrell read for the assignment, hit it off immediately with M*A*S*H leading-man Alan Alda (something Rogers had never been able to do), and was cast as wise-cracking army surgeon B. J. Hunnicutt, a role he'd fill until the series' final episode in 1983. Like Alda, Farrell directed several M*A*S*H episodes; also like Alda, he was a dedicated political and social activist, devoted to such causes as gay rights and prevention of child and spousal abuse. Since M*A*S*H's demise, Farrell has chosen to cut down on his acting appearances, preferring to direct; in addition to his series-TV work as director, he has also helmed the 1988 TV movie Run Till You Fall. In 1988, he co-produced the critically acclaimed theatrical feature Dominick and Eugene. Previously married to actress/documentary filmmaker Judy Farrell (nee Hayden), Mike Farrell is currently wed to Coach co-star Shelley Fabares. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Crooked E, The (2003) (TV) .... Ken Lay
M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Reunion (2002) (TV) .... Himself (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt, 1975-1983)
'70s: The Decade That Changed Television, The (2000) (TV) .... Host
"Providence" (1999) TV Series .... Dr. James Hansen
Behind the Laughs (1998) (TV) .... Host
... aka Behind the Laughs: The Untold Stories of Television's Favorite Comedies (1998) (TV) (USA)
187: Documented (1997) .... Voice
Sins of the Mind (1997) (TV) .... William
Vows of Deception (1996) (TV) .... Clay Spencer
... aka Deadly Seduction (1996) (TV)
... aka Tangled Web (1996) (TV)
"Superman" (1996) TV Series (voice) .... Jonathan Kent
... aka "Superman: The Animated Series" (1996) (USA: informal alternative title)
Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (1996) (TV) (voice) .... Jonathan Kent
Killers Within, The (1995) .... Congressman Clayton
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die (1994) (TV) .... Frank Crane
Memories of M*A*S*H (1991) (TV) .... Himself (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt)
Silent Motive (1991) (TV) .... Det. Paul Trella
Whereabouts of Jenny, The (1991) (TV) .... Van Zandt
Price of the Bride, The (1990) (TV) .... Joe Roth
Incident at Dark River (1989) (TV) .... Tim McFall
... aka Dark River - A Father's Revenge (1989) (TV)
Deadly Silence, A (1989) (TV) .... Gianelli
Vanishing Act (1986) (TV) .... Harry Kenyon
Private Sessions (1985/I) (TV)
J.F.K.: A One-Man Show (1984) (TV) .... John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Choices of the Heart (1983) (TV) .... Ambassador White
... aka In December the Roses Will Bloom Again (1983) (TV)
Memorial Day (1983) (TV) .... Matt Walker
M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (1983) (TV) .... Captain B.J. Hunnicut
Prime Suspect (1982) (TV) .... Frank Staplin
Father Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) (TV) .... Robertson
... aka Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) (TV) (USA)
Letters from Frank (1979) (TV) .... Richard Miller
Sex and the Single Parent (1979) (TV) .... George
Battered (1978) (TV) .... Michael Hawks
Battle of the Network Stars II (1977) (TV) .... CBS Team Contestant
McNaughton's Daughter (1976) (TV) .... Colin Pierce
... aka Try to Catch a Saint (1976) (TV)
"M*A*S*H" (1972) TV Series .... Capt. BJ Hunnicut, MD (1975-1983)
Live Again, Die Again (1974) (TV) .... James Carmichael
Questor Tapes, The (1974) (TV) .... Jerry Robinson
She Cried Murder (1973) (TV) .... Walter Stepanic
Longest Night, The (1972) (TV) .... Wills
"Man and the City, The" (1971) TV Series .... Andy Hays
"Interns, The" (1970) TV Series .... Doctor Sam Marsh
"Days of Our Lives" (1965) TV Series .... Scotty Banning (#2) (1968-1970)
... aka "Cruise of Deception: Days of Our Lives" (1990) (USA: new title (summer title))
... aka "DOOL" (1965) (USA: informal short title)
... aka "Days" (1965) (USA: abbreviated title)
Panic in the City (1968) (as Michael Farrell) .... Dick Blaine
Targets (1968) .... Man in Phonebooth
... aka Before I Die (1968)
Countdown (1968) (uncredited) .... Houston engineer
Doomsday Machine, The (1967) .... Reporter
... aka Armageddon 1975 (1967)
... aka Doomsday (1967)
... aka Escape from Planet Earth (1967) (USA: video title)
Graduate, The (1967) (uncredited) .... Bit Part (in hotel lobby)