Kellye Nakahara Wallett, Actress On ‘M*A*S*H,’ Dies

Kellye Nakahara Wallett, a film and television actress best known for playing Lt. Nurse Kellye Yamato on M*A*S*H, has died. She was 72.

Son William Wallett told the Associated Press that Wallett died Sunday after a brief battle with cancer. She was at her home in Pasadena surrounded by family and friends.

A native of O’ahu, Hawaii, Wallett also appeared in the films Clue and John Hughes’ She’s Having a Baby. More recently, she worked as a watercolor artist and was involved in the local arts community. She is survived by her husband, David Wallett, two children and four grandchildren.

M*A*S*H, the acclaimed sitcom set during the Korean War, ran from 1972-83. Nurse Kellye carries a secret crush on the show’s major character, the womanizing surgeon Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, played by Alan Alda. In a memorable scene, Kellye reveals her feelings, scolding Hawkeye for having his “eyes … on every nurse” except her.

“For your information,” she tells him, “I happen to have a fantastic sense of humor, a bubbly personality and I am warm and sensitive like you wouldn’t believe. I also sing and play the guitar and I’m learning to tap dance. And on top of all that, I happen to be cute as hell.”