
Alan Alda (born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, and podcaster.
A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award 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 Captain Hawkeye Pierce in the long-running TV series M*A*S*H. 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 partially be explained by an offscreen incident with an overzealous dentist when he was in his 50s; the man 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).
He is also a major supporter of the sciences and hosted Scientific American Frontiers on 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.
He's also known for his simultaneously thick and nasally voice and for his outspoken political views. Most definitely a Cool Old Guy.
Film roles on this wiki
- The Mephisto Waltz (1971) as Myles Clarkson
- California Suite (1978) as Bill
- The Four Seasons (1981) as Jack Burroughs (also wrote and directed)
- Sweet Liberty (1986) as Michael Burgess (also wrote and directed)
- A New Life (1988) as Steve Giardino (also wrote and directed)
- Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) as Lester
- Betsys Wedding (1990) as Eddie Hopper (also wrote and directed)
- And the Band Played On (1993) as Dr. Robert Gallo
- Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) as Ted
- Canadian Bacon (1995) as the President of the United States
- Flirting with Disaster (1996) as Richard Schlichting
- Everyone Says I Love You (1996) as Bob
- Murder at 1600 (1997) as Jordan
- Mad City (1997) as Kevin Hollander
- The Object of My Affection (1998) as Sidney Miller
- What Women Want (2000) as Dan Wanamaker
- The Aviator (2004) as Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
- Flash of Genius (2008) as Gregory Lawson
- Tower Heist (2011) as Arthur Shaw
- Bridge of Spies (2015) as Thomas Watters
- Marriage Story (2019) as Bert Spitz
Television roles on this wiki
- M*A*S*H (197283) as Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
- ER (1999) as Dr. Gabriel Lawrence
- The West Wing (200406) as Senator Arnold Vinick (R-California)
- 30 Rock (200911) as Milton Greene
- The Big C (201113) as Dr. Atticus Sherman
- The Blacklist (201314) as Alan Fitch
- Ray Donovan (201820) as Dr. Arthur Amiot
Other roles
- World War Z audiobook (2006) as Arthur Sinclair, Jr.
Tropes associated With Alan Alda
- Big Applesauce: He was born and raised in the Bronx.
- Cool Old Guy: Many of his later roles and he's definitely one in real life as well.
- Deadpan Snarker: Most famously as Hawkeye but many of his other roles are this as well.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Tends to keep his famous New York accent, no matter the role he's playing.
- Playing Against Type: His bad-guy roles were initially playing against type, but over time they've become his type.
- Stage Names: It is unknown why he changed his name, although it can be inferred that it was very hard to pronounce for some people.
- Typecasting: Tends to play a lot of politicians and government workers or upper-class corporate types.