Alan Alda (/ˈɑːldə/; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, author, comedian, screenwriter, podcast host and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the CBS wartime sitcom M*A*S*H (1972–1983). He also wrote and directed numerous episodes of the series.
After starring in the films Same Time, Next Year (1978), California Suite (1978), and The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), he made his directorial film debut The Four Seasons (1981). Alda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Owen Brewster in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004). Other notable film roles include in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Tower Heist (2011), Bridge of Spies (2015), and Marriage Story (2019).
Alda won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Senator Arnold Vinick in the NBC series The West Wing. Other Emmy-nominated roles include in And the Band Played On in 1993, ER in 2000, 30 Rock in 2009, and The Blacklist in 2015. He also had recurring roles in The Big C (2011–2013), Horace and Pete (2016), Ray Donovan (2018–2020), and The Good Fight (2018–2019).
Alda is also known for his roles on Broadway acting in Purlie Victorious (1961) and receiving three Tony Award nominations for his performances in The Apple Tree (1967), Jake's Women (1992), and Glengarry Glen Ross (2005). In 2008 he received a Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording nomination for Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. In 2019, Alda received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He hosts the podcast Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda and previously hosted Science Clear + Vivid.
The cast of M*A*S*H from season two, 1974 (clockwise from left): Loretta Swit, Larry Linville, Wayne Rogers, Gary Burghoff, McLean Stevenson, and Alda
1972–1983: M*A*S*H and acclaim
In early 1972, Alda auditioned for and was selected to play Hawkeye Pierce in the TV adaptation of the 1970 film M*A*S*H. He was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards, and won five. He took part in writing 19 episodes, including the 1983 2.5-hour series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", which was also the 32nd episode he directed. Alda was the only series regular to appear in all 256 episodes.
Alda commuted from Los Angeles to his home in New Jersey every weekend for 11 years while starring in M*A*S*H. His wife and daughters lived in New Jersey and he did not want to move his family to Los Angeles, initially because he did not know how long the show would last. Alda's father Robert Alda and half-brother Antony Alda appeared together in the 20th episode of season eight of M*A*S*H, "Lend a Hand". Robert had previously appeared in "The Consultant" in season three.
During the series' first five seasons, its tone was largely that of a traditional "service comedy" in the vein of shows such as McHale's Navy. As the original writers gradually left the show, Alda gained increasing control, and by the final seasons had become a producer and creative consultant. Under his watch, M*A*S*H retained its comedic foundation, but gradually assumed a more serious tone, openly addressing political and social issues. As a result, the 11 years of M*A*S*H are generally split into two eras: the Larry Gelbart/Gene Reynolds "comedy" years (1972–1977), and the Alan Alda "dramatic" years (1977–1983). Alda disagreed with this assessment. In a 2016 interview he said, "I don't like to write political messages. I don't like plays that have political messages. I do not think I am responsible for that."
Alda and his co-stars Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevenson worked well together during the first three seasons, but over time tensions developed as Alda's role grew in popularity and disrupted their characters' original 'equal' standing. Rogers and Stevenson left the show at the end of the third season. Anticipating the fourth season, Alda and the producers sought a replacement for the surrogate parent role embodied in the character of Colonel Blake. Veteran actor Harry Morgan, who was a fan of the series, joined the cast as Colonel Sherman T. Potter and carried on as one of the show's lead protagonists. Mike Farrell was introduced as Hawkeye's new tentmate BJ Hunnicutt.
By 1981, he was the highest paid person on a TV show with a contract paying him $225,000 an episode ($5.4 million per season).
In his 1981 autobiography, Jackie Cooper, who directed several early M*A*S*H episodes, wrote that Alda concealed a lot of hostility, and that the two of them barely spoke by the end of Cooper's tenure there. During his M*A*S*H years, Alda made several game-show appearances, most notably on The $10,000 Pyramid, and as a frequent panelist on What's My Line? and To Tell the Truth. He also wrote and starred in the title role of the 1979 political drama film The Seduction of Joe Tynan. His favorite episodes of M*A*S*H are "Dear Sigmund" and "In Love and War". In 1996, Alda was ranked 41st on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Alda
- SERVES
- 14
- COOK TIME
- 1 Hr 5 Min
We've got a change-of-pace apple cake recipe that you're going to love! We've taken that oh-so-yummy taste of pound cake and added in apple pieces that add so much flavor, you're gonna want more than one slice! Plus, to make sure that this moist, and full of apple flavor, we've added some applesauce to the mix! Our Apple-Filled Pound Cake recipe is a perfect special occasion cake, but it's so easy to make, you can whip it up anytime you want to indulge!
- 4 cups finely chopped unpeeled cooking apples
- 1/2 cup orange juice, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup applesauce
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350º.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the apples, 1/4 cup orange juice, and cinnamon; mix well.
- In a large bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, combine the granulated sugar and applesauce for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well. Slowly add the half of the flour, the baking powder, salt, milk, and the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice; beat in the remaining flour until the batter is well mixed. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Pour half of the batter into a 10-inch Bundt pan that has been coated with nonstick baking spray. Top with half of the apple mixture, then cover with the remaining batter. Cover the batter with the remaining apple mixture and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then remove from the pan onto a serving platter.
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From Guinness World Records...The largest hamburger weighs 2,566 lb 9 oz and was achieved by Wolfgang Leeb, Tom Reicheneder, Rudi Dietl, Josef Zellner, Hans Maurer and Christian Dischinger (all Germany) in Pilsting, Germany, on 9 July 2017.The hamburger consisted of three meat patties, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, hamburger sauce and a bun.
HOW TO OBSERVE
- bleu cheese
- coleslaw
- avocado
- fried egg
- barbecue and peanut butter
- mac & cheese
