Editing Loretta Swit (section)

==Early life==
Loretta Swit was born on November 4, 1937,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Solomonson |first1=Ed |last2=O'Neill |first2=Mark |title=TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book |year=2009 |publisher=Bear Manor Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6ezCgAAQBAJ&dq=Loretta+Swit&pg=PP47 |page=47 |isbn=978-1-5939-3501-6}}</ref> in [[Passaic, New Jersey]], to Lester and Nellie Szwed (née Kassack), who were both of Polish descent. Her father was a salesman and upholsterer. Swit's brother, Robert, was six years and one day her senior.<ref>{{cite news| title=Birthdays| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news-birthday-of-robert-swit/172203465/| newspaper=[[Herald News|The Herald-News]]| location=Passaic, NJ| date=November 3, 1941| page=8| access-date=May 12, 2025}}</ref>  As a child, Swit was a member of a Girl Scout troop sponsored by the Holy Rosary R.C. Church of Passaic, known as the Holy Rosary Scouts.<ref>{{cite news| title=Holy Rosary Scouts Hold Breakfast| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news/69105997/| newspaper=The Herald-News| location=Passaic, NJ| date=March 7, 1951| page=22| access-date=May 12, 2025}}</ref>

She graduated from [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson#Former Diocesan High Schools|Pope Pius XII High School]] in Passaic in&nbsp;1955, where she had been a cheerleader, had taken part in theatrical productions, and was co-captain of the women's basketball team.<ref>{{cite news| title=Tween-Teens: About Pope Pius| first=Shelley| last=Bovitz| location=Passaic NJ| newspaper=The Herald-News| date=November 26, 1954| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news/121836726/| page=29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Tween-Teens: Here and There| first=Shelley| last=Bovitz| location=Passaic NJ| newspaper=The Herald-News| date=December 16, 1954| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news-loretta-swit-is-named-co/172203655/| page=27}}</ref>{{cite news| title=Tween-Teens: General Info| first=Shelley| last=Bovitz| location=Passaic NJ| newspaper=The Herald-News| date=April 28, 1955| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news-play-directed-by-senior/35835991/| page=32}}</ref><ref name="lssxsy">{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xtBOAAAAIBAJ&pg=7237%2C4829462 |newspaper=[[The Blade (Toledo)|The Blade]] |location=Toledo, Ohio |agency=KNS |last=Harris |first=Harry |title=Loretta Swit – sex symbol |date=August 15, 1973 |page=P4}}</ref> She&nbsp;graduated from [[Katharine Gibbs School]] in [[Montclair, New Jersey]], in June 1957, then was employed at a variety of clerical jobs, including as a [[Shorthand|stenographer]] in [[Bloomfield, New Jersey]]; personal secretary to [[Elsa Maxwell]]; secretary to the ambassador from Ghana to the United Nations; and at the [[American Rocket Society]] in New York City while being trained to dance by a classmate, Elizabeth Parent-Barber, a Rockette and student at the New York School of Ballet. During this time, she began developing her acting career.<ref name="Passaic Herald-News">{{cite news| title=Up-Coming Passaic Actress Loretta Swit Lands Role in "The Balcony"| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-news-up-coming-passaic-actres/35836246/| first=Mary Ann| last=Kilmassewski| location=Passaic, NJ| newspaper=The Herald-News| date=August 25, 1961| page=6}}</ref>

She studied drama with [[Gene Frankel]] in [[Manhattan]] in New York City and considered him her acting coach. She regularly returned to his studio to speak with aspiring actors throughout her career. Swit is also a singer, having trained at the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]].<ref>[https://www.aada.edu/alumni/notable-alumni/#decade:all/orderby:last_name/display:panel/page:10 Notable Past Students]. ''American Academy of Dramatic Arts''. Retrieved March 18, 2024.</ref>