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Alan Alda smiles and takes on his illness.
In 2015, the star of “M*a*s*h” was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He also has blindness or posopagnicia, making it difficult to recognize people.
The 89-year-old said People Magazine On Wednesday, managing his Parkinson’s disease “stricken from part-time work to almost full-time work to track all these small solutions.”
Alan Alda starred as Hawkeye Earrings in “M*a*s*h” from 1972 to 1983. (CBS Photo Archives/Getty Images)
“But that’s what I’m always looking for interesting side,” the actor shared.
“Nearly every day I find new ways to do something,” the three of the dads told the outlet. “It’s like a game. Whatever the small problem is, if I keep it, I can finally solve it and then I feel like a million dollars. That’s a way to have a good time in poor circumstances.”
The acting keeps Alda busy. Most recently he appeared in a cameo in Tina Fey’s Netflix series adaptation His 1981 film, Four Seasons. It has already been updated for the second season.
Tina Fey and Alan Alda will be taking part in a special screening of the 1981 original “Four Seasons” held at the Paris Theatre on April 27, 2025 in New York City. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images on Netflix)
The character of Alda in Faye’s series is known for providing advice from his wife. That’s not different from real life, he said. Alda has been married to her spouse Arlene for 68 years.
“She always says, ‘The secret of marriage is a short memory,'” Alda told the outlet. “We try to practice being there when we’re there. We listen, answer, we have interest. We can get used to someone, regardless of who. If Pope and Mother Teresa are a couple, then in a few years they had to solve it.”
According to the outlet, Alda met 92-year-old Arlene at a mutual friend’s party in New York City in 1956, during her college days. When the rum cake fell on the floor they were the only two guests who were not hesitant to eat it.
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Alan Alda and his wife Arlene Alda will be taking part in the 12th gala of the jazz-based World Science Festival at Lincoln Center in New York City. (Cindiode/Getty Images from World Science Festival)
I fell in love at first sight.
“[I knew she was the one] When we ate cakes off the floor, she said, “There was something about flirting with food and she laughed at my jokes that made a lot of sense. We still laugh at each other’s jokes and she gets interesting every day.”
And as Arda navigates his Parkinson’s diseaseArlene is by his side.
Watch: Mike Farrell talks about his friendship with Alan Alda
“I don’t have the finger dexterity like I used to, so sometimes she has to tore the package for me,” explained Alda. “She feels so good about it. I always say ‘Thank you’. I’m proud.
In 2019, Alda recalled filming Fox News Digital’s final episode of “M*A*S*H” titled “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” Washington Post Over 106 million viewers reported seeing the series’ finale. The outlet also shared that the episode was so anticipated that the 30-second ad slot sold for $50,000 more than some of the 1983 Super Bowl slots.
In addition to this, United Press International An estimated 1 million viewers in New York City alone reported that after the show ended, they used toilets and poured 6.7 million gallons of water into the city’s sewers.
Alan Alda portrayed the wise surgeon Hawkeye. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Alda said the pressure was on to bring about a final goodbye that fans won’t forget.
“I wanted to end it in a way that showed that everyone was coming home with some kind of wound from the war,” Alda said. “No one left like when the war started. Sometimes it was physical wounds, sometimes it was emotional. We wanted to be authentic about it and be authentic.”
“I wanted to give everyone goodbye, including the extras,” Alda continued. “You know, the audience has come to know about the show’s extras, so I gave them all the speeches about what they’ll do when they get home.
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Alan Alda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The star admitted he faces even greater obstacles.
“One other challenge to overseeing the final episode was the outdoor location we used. In the mountains of Malibu“Alda said.
“It started on a Friday night or Saturday morning and the whole set was burning on the ground. There were a lot of scenes over the weekend to film there, so I rewritten the script and wrote the fire, and the rest of the show took place elsewhere.
From left: Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin Hawkkey earrings, Captain Trapper John McIntyre and Loretta suited as Major Margaret Hoolihan around 1972. (CBS Photo Archives/Getty Images)
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He also told Fox News Digital his wife’s advice on keeping a short memory to ensure that a long marriage will “good.”
“They can’t live together unless they sometimes have different opinions or different ways of doing things,” he said. “And I think it’s good to remember that when you’re working, no matter how strong you feel, you love this person. It’s easy to forget when you’re angry about something. And it makes the conversation so short.”
