---
name: "William Christopher"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/william-christopher"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "20 October 1932"
died: "31 December 2016"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:20:59.053169+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# William Christopher

Actor. Born 20 October 1932 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Died 31 December 2016.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 20 October 1932, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- **Died:** 31 December 2016

## Biography

William Christopher (1932–2016) was an American actor. He trained at Wesleyan University, where he earned a BA in drama, and began his career in New York theatre before moving to Los Angeles for television work.

He first gained notice with a recurring role as Private Lester Hummel on the series *Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.* (1965–1968). Christopher is best known for portraying Father Francis Mulcahy on *M*A*S*H* (1972–1983), appearing in 213 episodes and becoming a regular cast member from the fifth season; he reprised the role in the spin-off *AfterMASH* (1983–1985). He also made guest appearances on series including *The Andy Griffith Show*, *Hogan's Heroes*, *Columbo*, *The Love Boat*, *Murder, She Wrote* and *Diagnosis: Murder*.

With his wife Barbara, Christopher co-wrote the book *Mixed Blessings* (1988) about raising their autistic son. He died in Pasadena, California, on 31 December 2016.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *M*A*S*H* (1972), Fi1m 85, as Father Mulcahy — [page](https://film.one/tv/m-a-s-h-1972.md)

## Also known for

- *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman* (1993), Andrus
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), Burton Hollis
- *The Fortune Cookie* (1966), Interne (as Bill Christopher)
- *Mad About You* (1992), Chaplain Olson
- *The Love Boat* (1977), Carl Mitchell, Hal Wiliston, Elliot Weatherly
- *Hogan's Heroes* (1965), Lieutenant Donner, German Private, Foster, Thomas
- *The Andy Griffith Show* (1960), Mr. Heathcote, Dr. Thomas Peterson
- *Diagnosis: Murder* (1993), Art Amador / Martin Beckman

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/william-christopher