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Alan Alda

Birth Place: New York, NY, USA

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Alan Alda has recently had the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an EMMY -- as well as publishing a bestselling book -- all in the same year.
His memoir, entitled Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and Other Things I've Learned, became a New York Times bestseller.
His 2005 EMMY nomination was for his role as Arnold Vinick, Republican candidate for the presidency on "The West Wing" (which brought him two SAG Award nominations in the same year, Best Actor and Best Ensemble in a Drama Series). He also received a Tony nomination for his role in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." On film that year, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator," for which he received a nomination for an Academy Award and was also nominated for a British Academy Award.
2006 honors include his 32nd Emmy nomination and winning his sixth Emmy for his appearance on "West Wing" (Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) as well as the National Science Board's Public Service Award, and his induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has earned international recognition as an actor, writer and director. In addition to "The Aviator," 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 also "The Four Seasons," "Sweet Liberty," "A New Life," and "Betsy's Wedding," all of which he wrote and directed.
For his role in Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" he won the D.W. Griffith Award, the NY Film Critics Award, and was nominated for a British Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor.
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." In addition to his nomination for "Glengarry," 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.
On television, he hosted the award winning series "Scientific American Frontiers" on PBS for eleven years, interviewing leading scientists from around the world.
He played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series "M*A*S*H," and also wrote and directed many of the episodes. Alda is the only person to be honored by the TV Academy as top performer, writer and director. His 32 Emmy nominations include one in 1999 for his performance on "ER." In 1994 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Other Television performances include "Truman Capote's The Glass House" and "Kill Me If You Can," for which he received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Caryl Chessman, the inmate who spent 12 years on death row.
He has won the Director's Guild Award three times for his work on television, and has received six Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and seven People's Choice Awards, and has been nominated for two Writer's Guild Awards.
Alan Alda was born in New York City, the son of the distinguished actor, Robert Alda. He began acting in the theater at the age of 16 in summer stock in Barnesville, Pennsylvania.
During his junior year at Fordham University, he studied in Europe where he performed on the stage in Rome and on television in Amsterdam with his father.
After college, he acted at the Cleveland Playhouse on a Ford Foundation grant. On his return to New York, he was seen on Broadway, off-Broadway and on television. He later acquired improvisational training with "Second City" in New York and "Compass" at Hyannisport. That background in political and social satire led to his work as a regular on television's "That Was the Week That Was."
For twenty years he was a member of the Board of the Museum of Television & Radio, and for ten years, from 1989 to 1999, he was a Trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation.
His wife, Arlene, is the author of fourteen children's books. An award winning professional photographer, her work has appeared in a number of magazines and books. They have three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Alan Alda Photos

Alan Alda STAGE CREDITS

Love Letters Love Letters
[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 2014
Andrew Makepeace Ladd III [Replacement]
Glengarry Glen Ross Glengarry Glen Ross
[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 2005
Shelly Levene
The Play What I Wrote The Play What I Wrote
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 2003
Mystery Guest Star [Replacement]
QED
[Broadway]
Lincoln Center Production, 2001
Richard Feynman
Art
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1998
Marc
Jake's Women
[Broadway]
1992
Jake
The Apple Tree
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1966
Adam/Captain Sanjar/Flip, The Prince Charming
Adam
Captain Sanjar
Flip, the Prince, Charming
The Owl and the Pussycat
[Broadway]
1964
F. Sherman
Cafe Crown
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1964
Dr. Irving Gilbert
Fair Game for Lovers
[Broadway]
1964
Benny
Purlie Victorious
[Broadway]
1961
Charley Cotchipee
Only in America
[Broadway]
1959
Telephone Man

Writing

Broadway: Love Letters, Glenn Garry Glenn Ross, QED, Art, Jake’s Women (Tony nomination), The Apple Tree (Tony nomination) and The Owl and the Pussycast. Film: Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator (Oscar Nomination); Crimes and Misdemeanors (British Academy Award nomination); Everyone Says I Love You; Flirting With Disaster; Manhattan Murder Mystery; Same Time, Next Year’; California Suite; The Seduction of Joe Tyman (which he also wrote); The Four Seasons; Sweet Liberty; A New Life; and Betsy’s Wedding (which he also wrote and directed). TV: “The West Wing,” “30 Rock,” “The Big C,” “The Blacklist,” “ER,” host of “Scientific American Frontiers” on PBS, “M*A*S*H” (played Hawkeye Pierce for 11 years, wrote and directed many episodes, won five Emmy Awards). Nominated for 30 Emmys; inducted into the Television Hall of Fame; won three Directors Guild Awards, six Golden Globes, seven People’s Choice Awards; nominated for two Writers Guild Awards.

Alan Alda Movies

Gone Are the Days!
[ 1963 ] Charlie Cotchipee
Paper Lion
[ 1968 ] George Plimpton
The Extraordinary Seaman
[ 1969 ] Lt. J, G Morton Krim
The Moonshine War
[ 1970 ] John W. Son Martin
Jenny
[ 1970 ] Delano
The Mephisto Waltz
[ 1971 ] Myles Clarkson
To Kill a Clown
[ 1972 ] Maj. Evelyn Ritchie
California Suite
[ 1978 ] Bill Warren
Same Time, Next Year
[ 1978 ] George Peters
The Seduction of Joe Tynan
[ 1979 ] Joe Tynan
The Four Seasons
[ 1981 ] Jack Burroughs
Sweet Liberty
[ 1986 ] Michael Burgess
A New Life
[ 1988 ] Steve Giardino
Crimes and Misdemeanors
[ 1989 ] Lester
Betsy's Wedding
[ 1990 ] Eddie Hopper
Whispers in the Dark
[ 1992 ] Leo Green
Manhattan Murder Mystery
[ 1993 ] Ted
Canadian Bacon
[ 1995 ] President of the United States
Flirting with Disaster
[ 1996 ] Richard Schlichting
Everyone Says I Love You
[ 1996 ] Bob
Mad City
[ 1997 ] Kevin Hollander
Murder at 1600
[ 1997 ] Jordan
The Object of My Affection
[ 1998 ] Sidney Miller
What Women Want
[ 2000 ] Dan Wanamaker
The Aviator
[ 2004 ] Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
Resurrecting the Champ
[ 2007 ] Ralph Metz
Nothing But the Truth
[ 2008 ] Albert Burnside
Diminished Capacity
[ 2008 ] Uncle Rollie Zerbs
Flash of Genius
[ 2008 ] Gregory Lawson
Tower Heist
[ 2011 ] Arthur Shaw
Wanderlust
[ 2012 ] Carvin Waggie
The Longest Ride
[ 2015 ] Ira Levinson
Bridge of Spies
[ 2015 ] Thom Watters Jr.
Marriage Story
[ 2019 ] Bert Spitz

Alan Alda TV Shows

30 Rock
Milton Greene
M*A*S*H
Capt. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce
Ray Donovan
Dr. Arthur Amiot
The Big C
Dr. Atticus Sherman
The Blacklist
Alan Fitch
The Good Fight
Solomon Waltzer
The West Wing
Senator Arnold Vinick

Alan Alda Awards and Nominations


winner
Theatre World Awards - 2013 - John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement

Alan Alda

Tony Awards - 2005 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 1998 - Special Awards

Alan Alda, Art

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 1992 - Best Actor - Play

Alan Alda, Jake's Women

Tony Awards - 1992 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Alan Alda , Jake's Women

Tony Awards - 1967 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Alan Alda, The Apple Tree


winner
Theatre World Awards - 1964 - Performance

Alan Alda, Fair Game for Lovers

Alan Alda Videos

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Alan Alda News


Westport Country Playhouse to Present KAYFABE as Part of the Barnstormer Series Photo
Westport Country Playhouse to Present KAYFABE as Part of the Barnstormer Series


“Kayfabe,” where table-top puppetry meets pro wrestling meets a rock show, will launch Westport Country Playhouse’s new Barnstormer Series. Learn more about the series.

Len Cariou & Peter Filichia To Be Honored at 78th Annual Theatre World Awards Photo
Len Cariou & Peter Filichia To Be Honored at 78th Annual Theatre World Awards


The Theatre World Awards Board of Directors has announced two of the individuals to be honored at 78th Annual Theatre World Awards to be held on Monday evening, June 10, 2024 beginning at 7:00 p.m.

PURLIE VICTORIOUS Stage Film to Premiere on PBS This May; Great Performances Sets New Photo
PURLIE VICTORIOUS Stage Film to Premiere on PBS This May; Great Performances Sets New 'Broadway's Best' Lineup


The live capture of the recent Broadway revival of Purlie Victorious is premiering on PBS this May. Starring Leslie Odom Jr., the Kenny Leon-directed production was filmed before it closed on Broadway earlier this year. The lineup also includes the Audra McDonald concert, Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary, Hamlet, and more!

Date Set for The 78th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony Photo
Date Set for The 78th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony


The 78th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday evening, June 10, 2024 beginning at 7:00PM. Hosted annually by well-known theater journalist, Peter Filichia, the historic 78th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony will be produced by Theatre World Awards, Inc. Board of Directors / Dale Badway.

Interview: Matthew Michael Moore of THE DRUMS OF WAR at Abbey Theater Of Dublin Photo
Interview: Matthew Michael Moore of THE DRUMS OF WAR at Abbey Theater Of Dublin


After being cast as Winston Churchill for the upcoming play THE DRUMS OF WAR, Matthew Michael Moore has been at war with the letter R.

Amy Pietz To Teach Viola Spolin's Improv Acting Technique Photo
Amy Pietz To Teach Viola Spolin's Improv Acting Technique


Sills/Spolin Theater Works has announced esteemed actress of TV and film Amy Pietz will be teaching a new generation of actors the technique of Viola Spolin, the legendary theater innovator known as the 'Mother of improvisational theater.'

Tina Fey to Lead THE FOUR SEASONS Series on Netflix Photo
Tina Fey to Lead THE FOUR SEASONS Series on Netflix


Netflix has ordered eight episodes of the comedy series The Four Seasons, starring Tina Fey. The series, produced by Universal Television, is based on the 1981 feature film of the same name from Universal Pictures that was written and directed by Alan Alda, produced by Martin Bregman, and starred Alda and Carol Burnett.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adrienne Warren, and Melba Moore Join Talkback Series at PURLIE V Photo
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adrienne Warren, and Melba Moore Join Talkback Series at PURLIE VICTORIOUS


A slew of stars are joining the lineup for 'Victorious Talkbacks' the series of post-show events following performances of the Broadway revival of the American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by Ossie Davis starring Leslie Odom, Jr.

Hal Linden and Sally Struthers Will Lead World Premiere of THE JOURNALS OF ADAM AND E Photo
Hal Linden and Sally Struthers Will Lead World Premiere of THE JOURNALS OF ADAM AND EVE


Hal Linden and Sally Struthers will star in the world premiere of a new play – “The Journals of Adam and Eve” by Ed. Weinberger, with a little help from the authors of Genesis, John Milton, and Mark Twain, for six performances only January 18 to 21.

Scoop: 'M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television' on FOX - Monday, January 1, 2024 Photo
Scoop: 'M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television' on FOX - Monday, January 1, 2024


Get all the scoop on M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television , airing on FOX on Monday, January 1, 2024! In the all-new two-hour special, M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, join the men and women who made M*A*S*H as they celebrate one of the most beloved, enduringly popular comedies ever created. Watch a video preview now!

Words From The Wings: Noah Robbins of PURLIE VICTORIOUS Shares Favorite Backstage Mom Photo
Words From The Wings: Noah Robbins of PURLIE VICTORIOUS Shares Favorite Backstage Moments and More!


BroadwayWorld is bringing you Words From the Wings, a new series of interviews that take fans behind the scenes of some of their favorite Broadway stars' backstage routines! We're chatting with Noah Robbins of Purlie Victorious. Noah told us all about his favorite backstage moments, routines and more!

Photos: Inside Opening Night of NewYorkRep's WAR WORDS Off-Broadway Photo
Photos: Inside Opening Night of NewYorkRep's WAR WORDS Off-Broadway


NewYorkRep's WAR WORDS officially opened last night. Check out photos here!

Itzhak Perlman Unveils 2023/2024 Season Highlights Featuring Tours of His Autobiograp Photo
Itzhak Perlman Unveils 2023/2024 Season Highlights Featuring Tours of His Autobiographical Program & More


In an exciting 2023-2024 season, GRAMMY-winning virtuoso violinist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Itzhak Perlman engages with audiences across the world as he builds on his career as one of the most distinguished classical musicians of our era.

Billy Porter, Nicole Ari Parker, James Ijames, and More Set For PURLIE VICTORIOUS Ta Photo
Billy Porter, Nicole Ari Parker, James Ijames, and More Set For PURLIE VICTORIOUS Talkback Series


The new Broadway production Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by Ossie Davis starring Leslie Odom, Jr. will host a post-show talkback series this fall at the Music Box Theatre.

PURLIE VICTORIOUS Extends Broadway Run Photo
PURLIE VICTORIOUS Extends Broadway Run


Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by the legendary Ossie Davis starring Leslie Odom, Jr. has announced an extension of its critically claimed Broadway run.

PURLIE VICTORIOUS to Offer $15 Tickets to NYC High School Students Through Ticketing Photo
PURLIE VICTORIOUS to Offer $15 Tickets to NYC High School Students Through Ticketing Initiative


Discover how PURLIE VICTORIOUS is giving NYC high school students the chance to see this incredible musical with a new student ticket initiative. Find out how to take advantage of this limited-time offer and experience the magic of PURLIE VICTORIOUS in New York City.

How Often Are Broadway Plays Adapted Into Musicals? Photo
How Often Are Broadway Plays Adapted Into Musicals?


This time, the reader question was: With Purlie Victorious returning to Broadway, what are other plays that were revived on Broadway after their musical adaptations premiered?

Photos: Original PURLIE VICTORIOUS Cast Member Alan Alda Visits Broadway Revival Cast Photo
Photos: Original PURLIE VICTORIOUS Cast Member Alan Alda Visits Broadway Revival Cast


Original Purlie Victorious cast member ALAN ALDA reunites with the Broadway revival cast in a special visit. Check out the photos and join in the excitement of this reunion at the Purlie Victorious revival.

Photos: Stars Walk the Red Carpet for Opening Night of PURLIE VICTORIOUS Photo
Photos: Stars Walk the Red Carpet for Opening Night of PURLIE VICTORIOUS


BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big opening night of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and you can check out photos from the star-studded red carpet arrivals here!

Photos: The Cast of PURLIE VICTORIOUS Walks the Red Carpet on Opening Night! Photo
Photos: The Cast of PURLIE VICTORIOUS Walks the Red Carpet on Opening Night!


Check out photos of the cast of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch as they walk the red carpet on opening night!

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Alan Alda FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Alan Alda been in?

Alan Alda has appeared on Broadway in 12 shows.

How many West End shows has Alan Alda been in?

Alan Alda has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Alan Alda been nominated for?

Alan Alda has been nominated for several prestigious awards throughout his career, including the John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Theatre World Awards. He has also received nominations for the Tony Awards in categories such as Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for "Glengarry Glen Ross," Best Actor - Play for "Jake's Women," and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for "Jake's Women." Additionally, he received nominations for the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Special Awards for "Art," Best Actor - Play for "Jake's Women," and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for "The Apple Tree." Alda's performance in "Fair Game for Lovers" also earned him a nomination at the Theatre World Awards.

What awards has Alan Alda won?

Alan Alda has won the John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Theatre World Awards, Special Awards at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Art, and Performance at the Theatre World Awards for Fair Game for Lovers.

How many shows has Alan Alda written?

Alan Alda has written 1 shows including Darwin's Theories (Sketches).

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