In 1979, fans of M*A*S*H were treated to a spinoff when Trapper John, M.D. premiered. The medical drama was set nearly 30 years after the events of M*A*S*H and featured “Trapper” John McIntyre working in a hospital after leaving the army. Rather than being played by Wayne Rogers from the original series, the character was portrayed by Pernell Roberts. Roberts was joined by co-star Gregory Harrison, who played Gonzo Gates, a younger doctor at the hospital. Harrison remained on the series throughout most of its run, leaving midway through the final season in 1986.
Since his time on Trapper John, M.D., Harrison has continued acting, appearing on many other popular TV series. Today, he’s working in the world of soap operas and is a father to four children. Read on to find out more about his life at 72.
READ THIS NEXT: He Played Johnny on Emergency! See Randolph Mantooth Now at 77.
After starring on Trapper John, M.D., Harrison went on to star in the shows Falcon Crest and The Family Man. He had recurring roles on Sisters, Ed, Judging Amy, Strong Medicine, Joey, One Tree Hill, and Rizzoli & Isles, among other TV and movie appearances. Harrison has also worked in theater, appearing on Broadway in productions of Follies, Steel Pier, and Chicago.
Today, Harrison plays Gregory Chase on the soap General Hospital after joining the show in 2020. Aside from that, he recently starred in the Hallmark Channel series Chesapeake Shores, the final season of which concluded in October 2022. Also on Hallmark, Harrison is part of the TV movie franchise Signed, Sealed, Delivered. The latest movie in the series, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made, aired in 2021.
Harrison has four children—Emma, Lily, Kate, and Quinn Harrison—with his wife since 1980, model and actor Randi Oakes. They also now have grandchildren. The couple met when they both appeared on Battle of the Network Stars. At the time that Harrison was starring on Trapper John, M.D., Oakes was on CHiPs. During an interview with Hallmark’s Home & Family in 2015, Harrison described meeting on the competition show as being “a way that probably the odds against it ever becoming an actual successful relationship were very great.”
He also revealed the reason their marriage has been so long-lasting. “The real secret for Randi and I is respect,” he said. “That we respected each other. We had the same value system, so that even when we totally disagreed, even when we couldn’t stand to be near each other, we treated each other with enough respect to be able to walk away and allow the other person to walk away, until we could come back together constructively. We never said anything that couldn’t be taken back.”
During another appearance on Home & Family, this one in 2019, Harrison shared that he’s still recognized as his Trapper John, M.D. character—particularly by doctors. He talked about how his character lived in a motorhome in the parking lot of the hospital and drank wine on the roof of the building, then explained, “Ever since [the show], whenever I go to see the doctor about anything, half the time the guy will turn to me and go, ‘I just want you to know that you as Gonzo Gates is why I got into medicine.’ And I’m like, oh, do I want this guy to be working on me? Is he drinking before?”