Actor David Ogden Stiers, who played Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III on the classic television series "M*A*S*H," has revealed that he's gay.

Stiers, 68, told the blog Gossip-Boy.com in an interview that he's gay and "very proud to be so."

Stiers, who also starred in the television drama "The Dead Zone," said that his decision to remain in the closet stemmed from his work as a voice actor, which includes animated films for such Walt Disney productions as "Beauty and the Beast." He voiced Cogsworth in "Beauty," and also had prominent roles in "Pocahontas" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

"I enjoy working and even though many have this idealistic belief that the entertainment industry and studios like Walt Disney are gay friendly," said in the interview. "For the most part they are, but that doesn't mean for them that business does not come first. It's a matter of economics."

Stiers, who played Winchester on "M*A*S*H" from 1977 to 1983, said he decided to come out now with his homosexuality, not so much for advocacy reasons, but for himself.

"I wish to spend my life’s twilight being just who I am," Stiers told Gossip-Boy. "I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons. Now is the time I wish to find someone and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion with me."