Before his five-year co-starring role on M*A*S*H, Linville had guest-starring roles on many of the well-known television series of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Included in his credits in that period are one appearance each on Bonanza, Room 222 and Adam-12. He had three appearances, as three different characters, on ' over three seasons of that television series. On the early seasons of Mannix, Linville had a recurring role as Lieutenant George Kramer, an ally of Mannix in the L.A. Police Department. Linville played a doctor on the television movieThe Night Stalker, a predecessor of the Kolchak television series, and in the episode titled "Chopper" of ', he played the youngest police captain on the force investigating murders committed by a headless motorbike rider. He also had a small role in the film Kotch, which was directed by Jack Lemmon and starred Walter Matthau. Linville also appeared as U.S. Treasury Agent Hugh Emery in the 1972 television series Search episode "One of Our Probes is Missing".
''M*A*S*H''
When the television series M*A*S*H started, Linville signed a five-year contract. He played Frank Burns, a major and surgeon. He achieved wide recognition in this role. His character, an ill-tempered civilian doctor, embraced military discipline with a cartoonish over-zealousness at odds with his medical ineptitude, was contrasted with the more competent and rebellious doctors played by Alan Alda and others in the ensemble. During that period, the sitcom's tone had changed from pure comedy to more drama-focused story lines, as it reflected issues related to the Vietnam War. He was offered a renewal for two more seasons when his contract expired, but he declined. After five seasons, Linville felt that he had taken the Frank Burns character, which had become increasingly one-dimensional in the show's blend of comedy and drama, as far as he could and chose to leave the series to pursue other roles.
After ''M*A*S*H''
After M*A*S*H, Linville starred or appeared in many films and television series. He was a guest-star on many television series, most frequently Murder, She Wrote; Fantasy Island; The Love Boat; The FBI Story; and CHiPs. He also appeared on episodes of Airwolf and The Rockford Files, and appeared in the television movie The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite. He also played a stock character—the "Crazy General"—along with Edward Winter in the pilot episode of Misfits of Science. He also co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Grandpa Goes to Washington with Jack Albertson. Linville appeared as jealous ex-boyfriend Randy Bigelow in the short-lived 1982 Disney series Herbie, the Love Bug. He also starred in the short-lived The Jeffersons spinoff Checking In, where he played Florence Johnston's nemesis, Lyle Block; however, this series only lasted four episodes. Linville co-starred in 1984 on Paper Dolls, a nighttime drama on ABC offering a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the fashion industry. In 1991, Linville appeared on an episode of the television series Night Court as a doctor. Linville also appeared in an episode of ' season 1 episode 3 as a crackpot claiming to have been abducted by Superman and taken aboard his spaceship. He also had roles in many films, including School Spirit, Earth Girls Are Easy, ', Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever, A Million to Juan, No Dessert, Dad, till You Mow the Lawn, and Fatal Pursuit. Linville appeared as an interview subject for Memories of M*A*S*H, a 1991 special commemorating the 20th anniversary of the series. In 1997, he joined Larry Gelbart and David Ogden Stiers to attend a deactivation ceremony for the last remaining U.S. MASH unit in Korea.
Marriage and family
He was married five times: to Kate Geer, with whom he had a daughter, Kelly Linville before they divorced. Kelly was his only child. He also married Vana Tribbey, Melissa Gallant, and Susan Hagan. His last marriage was to Deborah Guydon, who was by his side when he died.
Surgery, illness, and death
After doctors found a malignant tumor under his sternum, Linville underwent surgery in February 1998 to remove part of his lung. He received further treatment, but had continuing health problems over the next two years. Linville died of pneumonia in New York City on April 10, 2000, after complications from cancer surgery. His ashes were scattered at sea off the coast of Bodega Bay, California.
