Mike Farrell, the 86-year-old actor famed for playing Captain BJ Hunnicutt on the classic 1970s sitcom MASH*, was recently spotted wearing a playful “Make America Normal Again” hat, a nod to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Farrell, who returned to television after a seven-year hiatus, paired the hat with a navy shirt, acid-wash jeans, and casual sneakers, completing the look with a wallet chain and a small medical patch below his right ear.
Farrell’s career began after growing up in Hollywood and attending school with Natalie Wood. He served in the Marine Corps in the late 1950s before acting in TV shows including Days of Our Lives, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Marcus Welby, M.D. His breakout role came in 1975 when he joined MASH* as BJ Hunnicutt, replacing Wayne Rogers’ character Trapper. The series, centered on military medical staff during the Korean War, achieved massive popularity, and its finale remains the highest-rated episode in U.S. television history.
Two years after MASH* ended, Farrell found himself unexpectedly assisting in a real-life surgery during El Salvador’s civil war. As part of an Amnesty International mission, he helped Nidia Diaz, a wounded guerrilla commander captured while fighting the U.S.-backed government. Farrell was initially meant to observe the operation led by surgeon Alejandro Sanchez, but when local aides refused to participate due to the political sensitivity, Farrell stepped in. With minimal preparation—he received a book on tendon surgery in the car on the way to the operation—he followed Sanchez’s instructions and successfully assisted in the procedure, despite a mid-surgery power outage reminiscent of his TV role.
Beyond acting, Farrell is a longtime political activist, especially outspoken against the death penalty, and has criticized Trump publicly, including supporting efforts to persuade Electoral College members to oppose him in 2016.
