Alan Alda was born in New York City. He is the son of well-known actor Robert Alda. His father hoped that Alan would become a doctor, but the boy’s desire to act won out. Alan was raised with vaudeville and burlesque comedians, and took in as many jokes and routines as he could. He entered into the acting field at the age of sixteen when he made his debut in summer stock in Barnesville, Penn. He attended New York’s Fordham University and studied in Europe. He performed on stage in Rome and on television in Amsterdam with his father in his junior year.

After university, he performed at the Cleveland Playhouse on a Ford Foundation grant. He also performed on and off-Broadway as well as on TV. He added improvisation to his repertoire by appearing in “Second City” in New York and “Compass” at Hyannisport, Mass.

His debut into film was in “Gone Are the Days”(1963), adapted from the Play in which Alda had appeared in on Broadway. He went on to appear in “The Moonshine War,” “Jenny,” “The Mephisto Waltz” and “Paper Lion.” He also appeared in numerous TV roles such as “Jake’s Women,” “Glass House,” and “Kill Me If You Can,” for which he received an Emmy nomination.

Alda’s big break came when he landed the role of “Hawkeye” Pierce in the hit TV series M*A*S*H, which aired from 1972 - 1983. He also wrote and directed many of the episodes and won five Emmy Awards. Alda continued in the directors chair with many projects, including “The Four Seasons” (1981), “Sweet Liberty” (1986) and “Betsy’s Wedding” (1989).

Alda’s career spans motion pictures, television and the Broadway stage. He has also won numerous awards for his talent and performances. Some of his most notable movies are; “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Same Time Next Year,” “California Suite,” “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” (which he also wrote), “Whispers in the Dark,” “Flirting With Disaster,” “Murder at 1600,” and most recently, Woody Allen’s “Everyone Says I Love You.”

Alan Alda is an ardent supporter of feminist causes. He campaigned extensively for ten years for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. He was appointed by President Gerald Ford, in 1976, to serve on the National Commission for the Observance of International Women’s Year. He has been a member of the Board of the Museum of Television and Radio since 1985. In 1989 he became a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation.

You can catch him as the host of Scientific American Frontiers. He enjoys being actively involved with the series and has been a life-long science buff. He has been with the program for seven seasons as host and, despite a crowded professional schedule, he has appeared in segments shot all over the United States and in Italy, South Africa, Germany, China, Scandinavia and Central America. “I’m having too much fun to stay home,” Alda admits. “I want to be where the scientists are.”

His wife, Arlene, is an award-winning professional photographer whose work has appeared in such leading magazines as Life, Vogue, US, Ms. She, and People. Arlene is also the author of several children’s books. One of her books, “Sheep, Sheep, Sheep, Help Me Fall Asleep,” became a national best seller. Alan and Arlene enjoy three daughters, Eve, Elizabeth and Bernice, along with five grandchildren.