Actor Patrick Adiarte, best known for his role in season one of revered 1970s comedy M*A*S*H, has died aged 82.
The Daily Mail newspaper reports that Adiarte’s niece confirmed the news that the actor had died of pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital.
Adiarte had a successful career on stage and screen, and was most familiar for his role of Ho-Jon on the pilot season of M*A*S*H, which he played between 1972 and 1973. The role had been played on the big screen by Kim Atwood.
Besides this role that made his face recognisable to millions of fans across the world, the actor also appeared in Bonanza, The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-O and Kojak.
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Prior to his TV breakthrough, Adiarte appeared on stage in musicals, where he impressed Gene Kelly as a talented dancer, and had a role in the film adaptations of The King and I and Flower Drum Song. He also appeared in Blake Edwards’ High Time (1960) and the Cold War comedy John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
Adiarte was born in Manila in 1943 and was interned with his mother and sister during the latter part of World War II. He arrived in the US via Ellis Island in 1946 and, give years later, was dancing on Broadway, appearing as one of the royal children in the musical The King and I. He later played the crown prince in the film of the same name.
The Daily Mail reports that Adiarte continued to thrive in dance, later teaching at institutions including Santa Monica College.