Mike Farrell

Mike Farrell
Mike Farrell in 2016
Born	Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (1939-02-06) February 6, 1939 (age 82) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Actor director producer screenwriter activist public speaker
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	Judy Hayden ​ ​ (m. 1963; div. 1983)​ Shelley Fabares ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	2

Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series M*A*S*H (1975–83). He is also an activist and public speaker for various political causes.

Farrell was a producer of Patch Adams (1998) starring Robin Williams, and starred in the television series Providence (1999–2002). He appeared as Milton Lang, the father of Victor Lang (John Slattery), husband of Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) on Desperate Housewives (2007–08).

He was seen in the season 10 episode "Persona" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He appeared as the character Fred Jones in the season 8 episode "Hunteri Heroici" of Supernatural. In 2014 he was a supporting cast member on the Sundance TV Network criminal drama series The Red Road. He portrayed Lee Miglin, a real estate baron who fell victim to serial killer Andrew Cunanan, in FX's anthology series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Most recently, he appeared in NCIS, playing the role of Judge Miles Deakin in the episode "Judge, Jury..." and "...and Executioner."

Early life[]

Farrell, one of four children, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Agnes Sarah Cosgrove and Michael Joseph Farrell.^[1]

When he was two years old, his family moved from South St. Paul to Hollywood, California, where his father worked as a movie studio carpenter. Farrell attended West Hollywood Grammar School with Natalie Wood and graduated from Hollywood High School. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1959. After being discharged, he worked at various jobs before his acting career.^[2]

Acting career[]

Early career[]

Mike with Judy Farrell at Knott's Berry Farm in 1966

During the 1960s, Farrell guest-starred in a few series. Notable roles included playing a young US Forest Service ranger in the Lassie episode "Never Look Back" (February 1967), Federal Agent Modell in the episode "Monkee Chow Mein" on The Monkees in 1967; as a bellhop in lobby (uncredited) in The Graduate in 1967; astronaut Arland in the episode "Genie, Genie, Who's Got the Genie?" on I Dream of Jeannie; and an Army doctor in the episode "The Bankroll" of Combat!

In 1968, he originated the continuing role of Scott Banning in the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. In 1970, he starred as one of the young doctors in the CBS prime-time series The Interns, in a cast led by Broderick Crawford. In 1971, he played the assistant to Anthony Quinn in ABC's The Man and the City. In 1973, while under contract to Universal Studios, Farrell starred with Robert Foxworth in The Questor Tapes. During the years under contract, he guest starred in a number of shows, including Banacek, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., and The New Land; and starred in a television pilot with Jane Wyman, which did not sell.

In the early 1970s, Farrell guest starred in the television western drama Bonanza^[3][4] and did a number of commercials as a spokesman for Maytag dryers, Plymouth automobiles among other products.^{[citation needed]}

On the game show Stumpers!, 1976

M*A*S*H (1975–83) and later roles[]

Farrell's big break came in 1975 when Wayne Rogers unexpectedly departed M*A*S*H at the end of the third season. Farrell was quickly recruited for the newly created role of B.J. Hunnicutt, along with co-series lead Harry Morgan, who replaced McLean Stevenson, also at the end of the third season, opposite Alan Alda. Both Morgan and Farrell were big fans of the M*A*S*H series during its early seasons before they both joined the cast, with Morgan having also appeared as "General Bartford Hamilton Steele" in the season-three episode "The General Flipped at Dawn" (for which he won an Emmy Award for Best Guest Role in a Primetime Comedy Series). Farrell stayed with the series for its remaining eight years on the air. During that time, he wrote 5 episodes and directed 4. Since M*A*S*H, Farrell has guest starred in Murder, She Wrote; Justice League; Desperate Housewives; and many others. Farrell voiced Jonathan Kent in Superman: The Animated Series (1996) with wife Shelley Fabares voicing Martha Kent.^[5]

Farrell hosted several National Geographic Presents specials and starred in a number of TV movies, including 1983's Memorial Day, which he co-produced.^[6] He did two one-man shows: JFK, a One Man Show for PBS and, on stage, a national tour of David W. Rintels' play Clarence Darrow.

In 1985, Farrell partnered with film and television producer Marvin Minoff to create Farrell/Minoff Productions, a production company.^[7] Together, Farrell and Minoff produced numerous television movies.^[8]

Farrell and Minoff executive produced 2 feature films during their partnership, Dominick and Eugene, a 1988 Orion Pictures film which earned actor Tom Hulce a Golden Globe nomination for best actor.^[7] The pair also produced 1998's Patch Adams starring Robin Williams.^[8] Farrell and Minoff's professional partnership lasted more than 25 years, until Minoff's death in November 2009.^[7][8]

Providence (1999–2002)[]

In 1999, Farrell was given the part of veterinarian Jim Hansen, the father of the lead character Dr. Sydney Hansen, portrayed by Melina Kanakaredes, on the NBC-TV melodrama series Providence.

In his portrayal of Sydney's father, Farrell played opposite Concetta Tomei, who portrayed his wife, Lynda Hansen. Tomei's character died during the first episode of the series, but continued to appear as a ghost/memory in vignettes of later episodes. Farrell appeared in 64 of the 96 episodes.

Political activism[]

Farrell meets with Senator Debbie Stabenow in 2002

Farrell has worked on many activist campaigns.

Even before he was well known, Farrell was an activist for many political and social causes. He was co-chair of the California Human Rights Watch for 10 years, was on the Board of Advisors of the original Cult Awareness Network, and has been president of Death Penalty Focus for more than 10 years,^[9] being the first person to be awarded its Human Rights Award, subsequently named after him in 2006. He received PETA's Humanitarian Award in 2001, and narrated a public service campaign for them about animal abuse.^[10]

In 1985, Farrell was in Central America, helping refugees from the civil war in El Salvador. A guerrilla commander, Nidia Diaz, had been taken prisoner. She needed surgery, but no Salvadoran doctor dared to help her, so Amnesty International recruited a foreign doctor. Farrell was present as an observer but was, in his words, "shanghaied into assisting with the surgery" when the doctor said his help was needed. The in-prison surgery was successful and Diaz went on to be one of the signatories of the Chapultepec Peace Accords, the peace treaty ending the war. She also served in the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador and in the Central American Parliament.^[11][12]

In 2006, Farrell appeared with Jello Biafra and Keith Gordon in the documentary Whose War?, examining the U.S. role in the Iraq War. He also serves on the advisory board of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.^[13]

In 2014, Farrell workshopped a play by George Shea which brought Dr. Charles David Keeling and his scientific work on atmospheric CO2 emissions to life.^[14] Shea videotaped and shared a performance of the play on YouTube, still available in August 2021.

In 2016, after the US presidential election of Donald Trump, Mike appeared in a commercial to urge Republican electors to block Trump from becoming president by having 37 Electors change their vote in the Electoral College from Trump^[15] to John Kasich.^[16] Farrell appeared on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox network on Dec, 16, 2016. .^[17]

Publications[]

Farrell wrote an autobiography, Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist (Akashic Books, ISBN 1-9333-5408-9), published in 2007. The book covers his working-class childhood in West Hollywood, his break into show business, his personal life, and his increasing involvement in politics and the human rights movement in the United States, Cambodia, and Latin America. His second book, Of Mule and Man (2009, Akashic Books, ISBN 1-9333-5475-5), is a journal of his five-week, 9,000-mile drive around the U.S. to promote the paperback edition of his first book.

Personal life[]

In August 1963, Farrell married actress Judy Hayden, who was working as a high school English and drama teacher in Laguna Beach, California.^[18] They were separated in 1980 and divorced in 1983. They have two children, Michael and Erin. On M*A*S*H, Hunnicutt's daughter also was named Erin. Also on M*A*S*H, in the episode "The Colonel's Horse" (season 5, episode 12), Hunnicutt's father-in-law is Floyd Hayden, Hayden being the maiden name of Judy, Farrell's wife. Judy Farrell also acted on M*A*S*H from 1976-1983 as Nurse Able, one of the few nurses with a recurring role.

On December 31, 1984, he married actress Shelley Fabares.

Farrell has been active in the Screen Actors Guild. In 2002 he was elected first vice president of the Guild in Los Angeles and served in the post for three years.^[19]

Filmography[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Farrell.

• Official website (archived 2016)
• Mike Farrell at IMDb
• Death Penalty Focus
• Audio interview of Mike Farrell by Stephanie Miller about the Guantanamo Bay play on The Stephanie Miller Show
• Recording of Mike Farrell talking about his book and activities from Sacramento, CA on September 28, 2008