Sally Kellerman, original Hot Lips from ‘M*A*S*H,’ dead at 84

Sally Kellerman, the Oscar nominated actress who played U.S. Army Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the film “M*A*S*H,” has died.

Kellerman passed away Thursday morning at 84 in California after a battle with dementia, her son, Jack Krane, told the Hollywood Reporter.

The whisky-voiced beauty famously appeared in Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H” as well as the 1986 comedy “Back to School,” opposite Rodney Dangerfield. She appeared in TV shows including “The Outer Limits,” “12 O’Clock High,” “Ben Casey,” “That Girl” and “Mannix.” More recently, she played comedian Marc Maron’s mom on the IFC show “Maron.”

Of her iconic “M*A*S*H” role, she said she eventually welcomed always being remembered for it. 

“There were times in my life when I felt I had to go out and prove that I’m not just Hot Lips,” she told The Post in the 2010 interview. “But at this point, just call me anything you want!”

“It was like summer camp,” she said of working with Altman, who often advised her to “just giggle and give in.”

In a 2012 interview, Kellerman said when she first met with Altman, she attired herself appropriately for the “Hot Lips” part. “I just got a meeting and wore lipstick that day. I was usually always hiding my lips, because I didn’t want anyone to see my mouth, but before I left the meeting, Bob said, ‘I’ll give you the best part in the picture.’”

“I’ve had such a lucky, wonderful career as an actress and singer,” Kellerman told the audience at a celebration of her 81st birthday in 2018. “I have just had the most wonderful life.”

At the same event, Kellerman saluted Robert Altman. “He was a rebel. Always making trouble. It made you better and made it fun,” she said. “It’s so great to do what you love and have it be fun and people enjoy it.”

Kellerman also appeared in the “Star Trek” episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” as Dr. Elizabeth Dehner.

Besides her extensive roster of film and television roles, Kellerman also delved into music, releasing an album in the 1970s and performing live, including at New York’s Metropolitan room in 2010.

“I wanted to be the real deal,” Kellerman told The Post that year. “Who knew it would take me another 30 years to get to this place where I feel free?”

There was a time when Kellerman felt she was not cut out for Hollywood.

“All I ever wanted to be was an actress,” she told film critic Roger Ebert in 1980. “But I was fat. I was always reading about those diets where you can have one ounce of protein every 17 days whether you need it or not.”