Here is the biography of Alan Alda:
Alan Alda was born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo on January 28, 1936, in the Bronx, New York City. His father, Robert Alda, was an Italian-American actor, and his mother, Joan Browne, was a former beauty queen. Alda spent much of his childhood touring the United States with his father, who worked as an actor in vaudeville and burlesque theaters.
Alda contracted polio at the age of seven and underwent a painful treatment regimen, which included applying hot woolen blankets to his limbs and stretching his muscles. This treatment, developed by Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny, helped him recover his mobility.
Alda received his secondary education at Archbishop Stepinac High School, an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York. He then attended Fordham University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956.
During his college years, Alda worked at the radio station WFUV and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC),a training program for prospective commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. He served for a year at Fort Benning, a United States Army post in Alabama, and then spent six months stationed in Korea.
In 1956, Alda was introduced to Jewish-American musician Arlene Weiss, and they started dating. They married on March 15, 1957, and had three daughters born between 1958 and 1961.
Alda began his acting career in the mid-1950s, joining the Compass Players and later the improvisational group Second City. He made his film debut in the comedy-drama film "Gone Are the Days!" (1963) and appeared in several films throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Alda's breakthrough role came when he was cast as chief surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the medical-themed sitcom "M*A*S*H" (1972-1983). The series, based on the novel "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors" by H. Richard Hornberger, was a critical and commercial success and earned Alda several award nominations.
Alda also directed several films, including "The Four Seasons" (1981),"Sweet Liberty" (1986),and "A New Life" (1988). He made his directorial debut with "The Four Seasons," which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
In the 1990s, Alda appeared in several films, including "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989),"Betsy's Wedding" (1990),and "Whispers in the Dark" (1992). He also hosted the science-themed television program "Scientific American Frontiers" (1990-2005) for 12 years.
In the 2000s, Alda's career experienced a revival, and he appeared in several films, including "The Aviator" (2004),for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also had recurring roles in the television series "The West Wing" (1999-2006) and "Ray Donovan" (2013-2020).
Throughout his career, Alda has been nominated for several awards, including multiple Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He has also published three memoirs, covering different aspects of his life and career.
