In the TV series M*A*S*H, who is the original commanding officer of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit?

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Braymore Blake is introduced in the 1968 novel M*A*S*H and is also a character in the film (played by Roger Bowen) and television series (played by McLean Stevenson).

He is a surgeon and the original commanding officer of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit. He is beloved for his down-to-earth, laid-back manner by many under his command, especially Hawkeye and Trapper John (with whom he drinks, flouts regulations, and chases women), and scorned for it by those who prefer strict military discipline, such as Frank Burns and Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan.

Henry is a good man and a capable surgeon, but an ineffectual commanding officer. Company clerk Radar can usually anticipate his wishes and turn them into efficient military orders, but Henry often gets flustered when an important decision needs to be made.

When McLean Stevenson decided to leave the show at the end of the third season, his character was scripted to be discharged and sent home, as a way to write him out of the series. However, the producers added a final scene to his last episode, in which it is reported that Blake's plane has been shot down, with no survivors. This scene was kept secret from most of the cast until just before filming so that they would respond more authentically to the news.