M*A*S*H Star Allan Arbus Dies at 95

The New York Times reports that Allan Arbus has passed away at age 95 at his home in Los Angeles. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Amy this morning. The actor is best known for his role as psychiatrist MaJ. Sidney Freedman on the hit television series M*A*S*H.

Arbus' acting career began when he landed the lead role in Robert Downey Sr.'s cult film Greaser's Palace in 1972, in which his character kills the character played by Robert Downey, Jr. . Arbus also starred opposite Bette Davis in Scream, Pretty Peggy in 1973, and was featured as Gregory LaCava in W.C. Fields and Me in 1976.

These roles led to his casting as MaJ. Sidney Freedman on M*A*S*H, although in an early episode, "Radar's Report" (1973), he was called "Milton Freedman". Arbus's work on M*A*S*H helped his career as a character actor, and he eventually appeared in more than 70 TV shows and movies.

He appears briefly in the 1973 film Cinderella Liberty as a drunken sailor; another 1973 film, Coffy (starring Pam Grier), features Arbus as a drug dealer with strange sexual needs; in the 1978 movie Damien: Omen II, he plays Pasarian, one of Damien's many victims in The Omen trilogy.

Arbus is far better known for his television work, which includes over 45 titles and works as recent as Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2000. Among Arbus's non-M*A*S*H TV work are guest and recurring roles in such television series as Law & Order, L.A. Law, Matlock, Starsky and Hutch, and Judging Amy.

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