PEPIN, Wis. - When actor Gary Burghoff runs into trouble on stage, he turns to his script. When he runs into trouble in life, he looks to the Scripture.

Burghoff, who won and Emmy Award for his portrayal of Walter "Radar" O'Reilly in both the film and television series of "M*A*S*H" and is currently starring in the Lake Pepin Players' touring production of "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," said he has always been a religious person but experimented in the past.

"... I went through that period where I decided to be an agnostic because organized religion didn't ... allow me the freedom to experiment," said Burghoff, now 56.

After leaving "M*A*S*H" at the beginning of its eighth season, Burghoff found himself lost in an emotional and financial valley, lacking self-esteem and confidence in self and life.

Having spent much of his life learning to trust God and others, Burghoff opened himself up to inspiration and allowed his passion for painting to take over in 1992.

"With trust come strength because you know that you're never alone and that, no matter what happens, you're going to be OK .... "If you really allow yourself to just be, no matter what's happening around you ... wonderful inspiration will come to you. And that's a gift. It comes from outside and through you," Burghoff said.

When Burghoff was 16, his father's career change forced him and his family to move from Bristol, Conn., where the actor was born and raised, to Delavan, Wis.

Leaving the east coast during his critical teen years made it difficult for Burghoff to adjust, despite his grand entrance into the acting world as Bobby in his high school production of "The Boyfriend."

"At 16, you're just starting to get that feeling of community and belonging. At first you belong in the home, and then you belong in the community," said Burghoff. "And when you're taken away from that, I think with me it's always been a search to get back home."

Although spending much of his down time in a home approximately 90 miles north of Sacramento, Calif., near the relatively small town of Chico, the father of three does maintain a home in Connecticut.

At 19, Burghoff traveled solo to New York to study and related the experience to being lost in the wilderness and on the verge of starvation - and finding the determination to survive.

"You know you have this feeling that if I can survive that, I can survive anything. ... Thank you God for the strength," said Burghoff.

In New York, Burghoff explored his musical talents, playing jazz at local night clubs with a trio he formed and honing his vocal talents at clubs and on stage.

Burghoff has appeared on television and movie screen and made his biggest acting break in 1967 when he played Charlie Brown in an off-Broadway production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

Carrying the knowledge of how to better oneself as an actor and a human being through his many acting experiences, Burghoff said he learned much about building and maintaining interpersonal relationships under intense circumstances, tension, and emotional demands and pressures.

When plagued with pressures in the present day, Burghoff looks to pets and painting for solace.

Picking up a paintbrush in 1992 to earn money and fulfill a lifelong passion, Burghoff has been producing wildlife paintings and has toured art galleries across the country displaying his work.

His love of animals stems from childhood and has carried over to his 13-part public television series called "Pets: Part of the Family." The show explores the relationship between pets and their owners.

"When people are experiencing and expressing their feelings about unconditional love and empathy and compassion, the best of them comes out. And that's what we're recording: the best in humanity. ... It's a very profound experience," Burghoff said of his hosting responsibilities.

Claiming to be the "world's worst celebrity" but admitting his genuine love for acting, Burghoff is currently playing the role of a middle-aged, mild-mannered husband who longs for one big fling in his faithful married life in Neil Simon's comical yet poignant play.

And he's loving it.