Alan Alda was born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo, on January 28, 1936 in the Bronx, to Robert Alda, an actor, and Joan Brown, a former Miss New York. Alan Alda is of Irish and Italian descent, and he took the stage name, Alda, by blending ALphonso and D'Abruzzo.
At the age of seven, Alda contracted Polio. Sister Elizabeth Kenny developed a treatment for polio, which Alan Alda's parents adopted. They applied hot wool blankets to Alan's limbs, and stretched his muscles. As a result, he recovered from most of the effects of polio.
After receiving a BS degree in English from Fordham College of Fordham University in the Bronx, Alan Alda joined the US Army Reserve, where served a six-month tour of duty as a gunnery officer.
Alda's acting career began in the 1950's, as a member of the comedy revue, Compass Players. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in the Broadway musical, The Apple Tree.
Alan Alda went on to play a supporting role in the film version of the play Purlie Victorious, called Gone are the Days! Other appearances included roles in the films, Paper Lion in 1968, and in The Extraordinary Seaman in 1969. He also starred in The Mephisto Waltz, a suspense thriller, with actress Jacqueline Bisset. He was also a returning panelist on the 1968 version of What's My Line? and the 1972 version of I've Got a Secret.
In early 1972, Alda auditioned and won the role of Hawkeye Pierce in the TV adaptation of the film M*A*S*H, from 1970. M*A*S*H made Alan Alda a superstar, but Alda made M*A*S*H* the most memorable half-hour show in history.
For his role as the wisecracking, brilliant surgeon, Alan Alda received five Emmy Awards, out of his 21 nominations. He took part in writing 19 episodes of the show including the series finale, and directed 32. Alda was the first person to win Emmy Awards for acting, writing, and directing for the same series. He also directed the series' 2½-hour series finale "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen". It is the single most-watched episode of any TV series. Appearing in all 251 episodes of M*A*S*H, Alan Alda is the only series regular to do so.
When the show ended, Alda continued working in television and movies, and in 2004, became a regular cast member on The West Wing, for which he received an Emmy in August of 2006.
Involved in numerous charities including St. Jude's Hospital for Children, and a champion for women's rights, Alda still found time to appear in the PBS series, Scientific American Frontiers.
Alan Alda also authored Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, 2006, and Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, 2007.
