Burghoff left M*A*S*H in 1979 after the seventh season because of burnout and a desire to spend more time with his family, though he returned the following season to film a special two-part farewell episode, 'Goodbye Radar'. Alan Alda reminisced on Twitter about Stiers' ability to skateboard to work before turning into his buttoned-up character, and added addressing Stiers directly that he would never forget 'how gentle you were, how kind, except when devising the most vicious practical jokes.
As a child, Burghoff loved animals, and when he was five, he liberated a few geese from a farm because he believed they belonged in their natural habitat. Despite Margaret's high hopes for their marriage, Donald soon turns out to be untrustworthy, cheap, and unfaithful. He was only in seven episodes, but Herb Voland's hearty portrayal is so distinctive that he makes an outsized impression for both the audience and the characters (Hawkeye can even parody him posing for photographs).
He received his acting training at HB Studio in New York City. Major Charles Emerson Winchester III extremely gifted surgeon and extremely snobbish Boston blueblood was a triumph for the 'M*A*S*H' strategy of replacing departed characters with very different counterparts. While relieving their days together, the cast said they loved each other then and still love each other 50 years later.
