Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo was born in New York City on January 28, 1936, the son of actor Robert Alda and Joan Brown, a former Miss New York. (The family name "Alda" is a combination of "ALphonso" and "D'Abruzzo.) As a young child he suffered from a bad case of polio that at one point left him unable to move anything but his left arm.

Alda graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science in English degree in 1956. During his junior year he studied at the Sorbonne, during which time he acted in a play in Rome and performed with his father on television in Amsterdam.

After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve, but went AWOL every weekend to see the girl he would eventually marry.

Career

Alda began his acting career in the 1950's as a member of the Compass Players comedy revue.

M*A*S*H

Originally reluctant to take on the role, Alda did not sign on to play Hawkeye Pierce until six hours before filming began on the pilot episode, but he went on to star in the show throughout its eleven-year run (1972-1983).

To show the horrors of war in a television sit-com, Alda had it written into his contract that one scene of every episode must take place in the operating room while surgery occurred.

Rather than uproot his family from New Jersey, Alda commuted from Los Angeles to his home every weekend during the show's run.

Alan, his father, and his half-brother Anthony appeared together in the episode "Lend a Hand" during season eight. Alan and his father had previously appeared in "The Consultant" in season three.

He was the only actor to appear in every episode. He and Loretta Swit were the only cast members to appear in both the pilot and final episodes.

He wrote (or co-wrote) 20 episodes, and directed 30 episodes.

The West Wing

Alda was one of the actors considered to play President Bartlett, but the role ultimately went to Martin Sheen. In 2004 he was cast for the role of Senator Arnold Vinick. He made his premiere in the role in the sixth season's eighth episode "In the Room," and was added to the opening credits with the thirteenth episode, "King Corn;" he continued in the role until the show's conclusion in 2006.

Other Television Appearances

Made frequent appearances on the 1968 revival of What's My Line?, as well as on the 1972 revival of I've Got a Secret.

Has been a guest star five times on ER, playing Dr. Gabriel Lawrence.

Played Dr. Robert Gallo in the controversial 1993 AIDS TV movie And the Band Played On.

Other TV roles include:
Story Theatre (1971) (series)
The Glass House (1972)
Playmates (1972)
Isn't It Shocking? (1973)
Free to Be... You & Me (1974) (voice of various characters)
6 Rms Riv Vu (1974)
Annie and the Hoods (1974)
Kill Me If You Can (1977)
White Mile (1994)
Jake's Women (1996)
The Killing Yard (2001)

Movie Roles

Gone Are the Days (1963)
Paper Lion (1968)
The Extraordinary Seaman (1969)
Jenny (1970)
The Moonshine War (1970)
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)
To Kill a Clown (1972)
The Glass House (1972)
Same Time, Next Year (1978)
California Suite (1978)
The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) (also writer)
The Four Seasons (1981) (also director and writer)
Sweet Liberty (1986) (also director and writer)
A New Life (1988) (also director and writer)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Betsy's Wedding (1990) (also director and writer)
Whispers in the Dark (1992)
Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)
Canadian Bacon (1995)
Flirting with Disaster (1996)
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
Murder at 1600 (1997)
Mad City (1997)
The Object of My Affection (1998)
Keepers of the Frame (documentary) (1999)
What Women Want (2000)
The Aviator (2004)
Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

[all above linked titles available from Movies Unlimited]

Honors and Awards

Throughout his career, Alda has been nominated for 31 Emmys and 2 Tonys. He has won 7 People's Choice Awards, 6 Golden Globes and 3 Director's Guild of America awards. In 2004 he received his first Oscar nomination, Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Senator Ralph Owen Brewster in The Aviator.

People's Choice Award for Favorite Male TV Performer (1975)
Emmy for his portrayal of Arnold Vinick in The West Wing (2006)

Family Life

Alan and Arlene Alda have been married since March 15, 1997. They have three children -- Eve, Elizabeth and Beatrice.

Other Information

Alda was the first person to win Emmy Awards for acting, writing, and directing for the same series (M*A*S*H).

Despite the overwhelming popularity of M*A*S*H, Richard Hooker, the author of the novel on which the movie and series were based, did not care for the series. He was particularly unhappy with Alda's portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce. Hooker, a Republican, had based Hawkeye on himself, whereas Alda made Hawkeye a liberal.

Alda is a strong and vocal supporter of women's rights. In 1976, the Boston Globe dubbed him "the quintessential Honorary Woman: a feminist icon" for his activism on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment.

His autobiography, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed--and Other Things Learned, was published in 2005.

Questions or comments about this page?

The Internet Movie Database. www.imdb.com/name/nm0000257/

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