Allan Arbus, Actor, Dead at 96
Most famous role was in MASH
Allan Arbus, the actor best known for playing the psychiatrist Maj. Sydney Freidman on the popular TV show M*A*S*H*, died last Friday at his home in Los Angeles. Arbus was 95. In 1969, Arbus left the successful fashion photography business he had created with his then ex-wife and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Since then, he has gone on to star in films like "Coffy" and "Crossroads" and was a TV regular during the 1970s and '80s, appearing on "Taxi," "Starsky & Hutch," "Matlock" and other shows. However, his most notable role by far was on M*A*S*H* where he played a remarkably witty and at the same time, believable therapist. Alan Alda, who played Capt. Hawkeye Pierce on the series, recalls Arbus thusly: