And another celebrity death to end the year.

[NanceGreggs]

5. Father Mulcahy ...

... was one of the best-written, most three-dimensional characters ever created for the TV screen - and sadly often overlooked as being just that.

He really WAS the personification of Jesus as he would have been in the chaos of modern warfare - ever mindful of the frailty of the human spirit, yet also mindful of the true Christianity displayed by those who put the welfare of others above political concerns.

I cannot imagine any other actor bringing that character to life as fully as William Christopher managed to do. His portrayal of Father Mulcahy - a self-deprecating religious confidant who often found his own Church's teachings at odds with the on-the-ground realities of combat - was a moral lesson in following the spirit of Christ's message, as opposed to adhering to a rigid interpretation of the words of The Nazarene.

RIP, Mr. Christopher.