Line #7 Creator/AlanAlda


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alan_alda.jpeg]]
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3	->''"It's too bad I'm not as wonderful a person as people say I am, because the world could use a few people like that."''
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5	Alan Alda (born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936 in the Bronx, New York City) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, and podcaster.
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7	A six-time UsefulNotes/EmmyAward and UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobeAward winner, he's enjoyed a long and highly accomplished career with a litany of roles under his belt. However, he's likely best known for his iconic performance as Capt. "Hawkeye" Pierce in the long-running TV series ''Series/{{MASH}}''. In contrast to the fun-loving and rebellious Hawkeye, Alda has mostly played staunch authority figures and/or villains in his later career (something that can partly be explained by an offscreen incident with an overzealous dentist when he was in his 50s; the man accidentally cut through the frenum of Alda's upper lip, removing part of its support and movement structure and making it all but impossible for Alda to smile correctly).
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9	He is also a major supporter of the sciences and hosted ''Scientific American Frontiers'' on Creator/{{PBS}} from 1993 to 2005. In 2009, he founded the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, which teaches scientists how to present their work in way the general public can understand.
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11	He's also known for his simultaneously thick ''and'' nasally voice, and for his outspoken left-leaning political views. Most definitely a CoolOldGuy.
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14	!!Filmography on this wiki:
15	[[foldercontrol]]
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17	[[folder:Film roles]]
18	* ''Theatre/PurlieVictorious'' aka ''Gone Are the Days'' (1963) as Charley Cotchipee
19	* ''Film/TheMephistoWaltz'' (1971) as Myles Clarkson
20	* ''Film/CaliforniaSuite'' (1978) as Bill
21	* ''Film/TheFourSeasons'' (1981) as Jack Burroughs (also wrote and directed)
22	* ''Film/SweetLiberty'' (1986) as Michael Burgess (also wrote and directed)
23	* ''Film/CrimesAndMisdemeanors'' (1989) as Lester
24	* ''Film/ManhattanMurderMystery'' (1993) as Ted
25	* ''Film/CanadianBacon'' (1995) as the President of the United States
26	* ''Film/FlirtingWithDisaster'' (1996) as Richard Schlichting
27	* ''Film/EveryoneSaysILoveYou'' (1996) as Bob
28	* ''Film/MurderAt1600'' (1997) as Jordan
29	* ''Film/MadCity'' (1997) as Kevin Hollander
30	* ''Film/TheObjectOfMyAffection'' (1998) as Sidney Miller
31	* ''Film/WhatWomenWant'' (2000) as Dan Wanamaker
32	* ''Film/TheAviator'' (2004) as Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
33	* ''Film/FlashOfGenius'' (2008) as Gregory Lawson
34	* ''Film/TowerHeist'' (2011) as Arthur Shaw
35	* ''Film/BridgeOfSpies'' (2015) as Thomas Watters
36	* ''Film/MarriageStory'' (2019) as Bert Spitz
37	[[/folder]]
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39	[[folder:Television roles]]
40	* ''Series/ThePhilSilversShow'' (1 episode, 1958) as Carlyle Thompson III
41	* ''Series/Route66'' (1 episode, 1966) as Dr. Glazer
42	* ''Series/{{MASH}}'' (251 episodes, 1972–83) as [[Characters/MashCaptainHawkeyePierce Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce]] (also directed 32 episodes and wrote 19 episodes)
43	* ''Film/IsntItShocking'' (TV movie, 1973) as Dan Barnes
44	* ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' (1 episode, 1974) as Himself/Various Characters
45	* ''Film/AndTheBandPlayedOn'' (TV movie, 1993) as Dr. Robert Gallo
46	* ''Series/{{ER}}'' (5 episodes, 1999) as Dr. Gabriel Lawrence
47	* ''Series/TheWestWing'' (28 episodes, 2004–06) as Senator Arnold Vinick (R-California)
48	* ''Series/ThirtyRock'' (3 episodes, 2009–10) as Milton Greene
49	* ''Series/TheBigC'' (6 episodes, 2011–13) as Dr. Atticus Sherman
50	* ''Series/TheBlacklist'' (5 episodes, 2013–14) as Alan Fitch
51	* ''Series/BroadCity'' (1 episode, 2016) as Dr. Jay Heller
52	* ''Series/TheGoodFight'' (3 episodes, 2018–19) as Solomon Waltzer
53	* ''Series/RayDonovan'' (2018–20) as Dr. Arthur Amiot
54	[[/folder]]
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56	[[folder:Other roles]]
57	* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' audiobook (2006) as Arthur Sinclair Jr.
58	[[/folder]]
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61	!!Tropes associated With Alan Alda:
62	* AlliterativeName: '''Al'''an '''Al'''da, although it's his stage name rather than his real name.
63	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The title of his memoir "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed" was borne from a childhood incident where his beloved dog had died and his father, in an effort to appease Alan's grief, had the animal stuffed and put on display, much to his horror. This led to a lesson about accepting some things as they are and how trying to fix a problem can sometimes just make it worse.
64	* BigApplesauce: He was born and raised in the Bronx.
65	* CoolOldGuy: Many of his later roles and he's definitely one in real life as well.
66	* DeadpanSnarker: Most famously as Hawkeye but many of his other roles are this as well.
67	* HappilyMarried: To his wife Arlene since 1957, an astonishingly long time, especially for a Hollywood marriage.
68	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Tends to keep his famous New York accent, no matter the role he's playing.
69	* PlayingAgainstType: His bad-guy roles were initially playing against type, but over time they've ''become'' his type.
70	* {{Podcast}}: Since 2018 he's hosted one called ''Clear+Vivid'', in which he discusses a variety of topics with one or more guests.
71	* StageNames: His father was already acting under the name Creator/RobertAlda, so Alan changed to "Alan" and followed suit.
72	* TypeCasting: Tends to play a lot of politicians and government workers or upper-class corporate types. In something of an ironic play against his outspoken liberal-left views and reputation as something of a CoolOldGuy, many of these characters tend to be somewhat right-leaning and sinister.
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Context Creator / AlanAlda