As an actor, producer, and director, it seems that Mike Farrell was destined to find fame. The actor was originally born in Minnesota; his family relocated to Hollywood when he was still fairly young. During an interview with The Boston Globe, Farrell stated that he believed his surroundings had a significant impact on his future career. “If you grow up in a lumber town, you work in the mill,” said the M*A*S*H star. “I grew up in Hollywood.”

Originally, however, it seemed that the Farrell family had no intention of moving from the Midwest until Farrell’s uncle was able to convince his father to take a leap of faith. Unknowingly, the two men had set an acting career into motion.

“I had an uncle who was, as I understand it, kind of infatuated with theater,” said Farrell. “He worked as an extra, a skater with Sonja Henie. He was my dad’s younger brother, and kind of a favorite of the family, a very handsome, devil-may-care kind of guy. He’s the one who talked my dad into coming to Los Angeles - you know, streets paved with gold.”

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Though he passed away unexpectedly, Farrell still carried his uncle’s memory with him, becoming the actor his uncle dreamed of becoming.

“He was killed at a very young age in an automobile accident,” said Farrell. “I think some of his legend kind of sneaked in on me.”