ALAN ALDA has earned international recognition as an actor, writer and director. In addition to The Aviator, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, Alda’s films include Crimes and Misdemeanors, Everyone Says I Love You, Flirting With Disaster, Manhattan Murder Mystery, And The Band Played On, Same Time, Next Year and California Suite, as well as The Seduction of Joe Tynan, which he wrote, and The Four Seasons, Sweet Liberty, A New Life and Betsy’s Wedding, all of which he wrote and directed. Most recently, his film appearances have included Tower Heist, Wanderlust, and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies.
In 2016, he appeared as Uncle Pete in Louis CK’s groundbreaking web series Horace and Pete.
He has the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an EMMY - and publishing a bestselling book - all in the same year (2005). His Emmy nomination was for his role on The West Wing. His Tony nomination that year was for his role in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross. In addition to receiving an Academy Award nomination for his appearance in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator that year, he was also nominated for a British Academy Award.
In all, he has received 6 EMMYs and has been nominated for an EMMY 34 times.
Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series M*A*S*H, and wrote and directed many of the episodes. His EMMY nominations include performances in 2015 for The Blacklist, in 2009 for 30 Rock, in 2006 for West Wing (for which he received an EMMY), and in 1999 for ER.
In 1994 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
He hosted the award winning series Scientific American Frontiers on PBS for eleven years.
On Broadway, he has appeared as the physicist Richard Feynman in the play QED. He starred in the first American production of the international hit play ART.
He has received 3 Tony nominations. In addition to his nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross, he was also nominated for the Tony Award for his performances in Neil Simon's Jake’s Women and the musical The Apple Tree. Other appearances on Broadway include The Owl and the Pussycat, Purlie Victorious and Fair Game for Lovers for which he received a Theatre World Award.
He helped found the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and is the author of a play entitled “Radiance – the Passion of Marie Curie."
His wife, Arlene, is the author of nineteen books. They have three daughters and eight grandchildren.
Little Known Fact: While he was waiting for them to call "action" for his first scene in the hit series, M*A*S*H, he still had no idea who his character was. Then he walked onto set and something spontaneous happened. And with that, Hawkeye Pierce was born.