Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce in the popular television series “MAS*H,” is considered a Hollywood gem. In addition to his acting, he is adored for rising to fame despite facing adversity as a youngster.
The 86-year-old actor, director, and writer rose to international fame for his portrayal of the astute physician Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce on the television series.
The unfortunate news is that he now has Parkinson’s disease. It was only recently that he discussed how difficult it is to handle this circumstance.
The 1972–1983 television series “MAS*H,” which combined military drama and humour, was a huge hit in the United States. The show itself is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, and the finale is one of the most watched TV episodes ever.
Alan Alda won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series on three separate occasions. Despite coming from a show business family, he had a difficult upbringing. It had been full of upheavals, challenges, and tough events since he was a small child.
In 1936, Alan was born in the Bronx. Growing up, his family travelled all across the United States on numerous occasions since his father, Robert Alda, was an actor and singer who performed in burlesque shows. His mother, Joan Browne, raised the family and had previously competed in beauty pageants.
In his book “Never Have Your Dog Stuffed — and Other Things I’ve Learned,” Alan writes about his personal experiences. He mentioned that his mom was struggling with her emotions and that his dad frequently worked late. In the 1940s and 1950s, mental health concerns were not commonly discussed. Also, there weren’t many options for getting assistance at the time. As a result, organisations like Alan’s had to handle it on their own.
Alan wished they could have handled things as a team when his mother was ill. Instead, he wrote in his book published in 2005, each member of the family had to handle it on their own.
He reflected on a difficult period in his life, when he was just six years old. He remained up with his mother because his dad had late job. His mother found out that he was seeing someone else when his dad got home. When things really went south, Alan’s mother tried to hurt his father with a knife. Alan intervened, grabbed the knife, and slashed it through the table, saving everyone.
When Alan later told his parents about the knife incident, they didn’t believe him; his mother even suggested he had made it up.
The following year, Alan was told he had polio at the age of 7. This is a serious sickness that can leave you severely ill and immobile.
He said, “I got it when I was seven,” to AARP magazine. I was honking at Warner’s the entire time since I had a stuffy nose. My breathing was difficult. When I came home, I had to puke, and my legs were trembling. My neck ached the next day after that. I found it too difficult to sit up in bed.
Alan spent two weeks in the hospital and then had to undergo rigorous training for six months. During these treatments, hot cloths were wrapped over his arms and legs to promote blood flow and combat the polio-induced muscle paralysis.
“Every hour, I had really hot blankets around my arms and legs,” Alan recalled. It was difficult for me. The fact that my parents had to administer the severe punishment themselves because they couldn’t afford assistance made their situation even worse. It’s always a better idea to pay for someone to punish your child.
Alan responded remarkably well to the treatment. You couldn’t tell that she had the illness despite having it.
Alan faced many difficult challenges as a child, yet his upbringing was unique. At a very young age, he started watching burlesque shows, and as a baby, he made his theatrical debut.
In his book, Alan mentioned how frequently he travelled with his parents when he was younger. When Alan was a baby, he used to see his dad perform up to five times a day as a singer with a burlesque ensemble.
His father had sought to draw attention to the dancing club when he was just two years old. Alan therefore staged a pipe-smoking photo shoot in the hopes that the newspaper would publish it and draw attention. Alan carried a tobacco-filled pipe and wore a wool coat. He appeared solemn.
Alan overcame a serious illness and had a difficult childhood, but he excelled academically. He enrolled at Fordham University in New York City to study English. He practiced making people laugh and honing his acting skills after joining a comedy group.
His actual career started in 1959 when he made his appearance in the Broadway production of “Only in America.”
A few years later, in 1963, Alan landed his first motion picture part in “Gone Are the Days.” In addition, he was in the movie adaptation of the play “Purlie Victorious.” Before gaining notoriety for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in “MASH,” he starred in numerous Broadway productions and motion pictures. He continued to work in television after “MASH,” landing roles in programmes including “The West Wing” and “30 Rock.” For his parts in films such as “Same Time, Next Year,” he received accolades. “The Four Seasons,” his debut film, was likewise a hit. Alan’s outstanding performance in “The Aviator” earned him an Academy Award nomination in 2004.
In 1957, he tied the knot with writer, photographer, and singer Arlene Wiess, which was also a significant event in his personal life. Even after 65 years of marriage, they are still content.
Alan had finally met his dream woman. The celebrity instantly realised she would be the woman he would live out the rest of his days with.
A gathering in Manhattan was the first place the two persons saw each other, long before Alan rose to fame as Hawkeye.
When Arelene performed a Mozart piece on the clarinet during the celebration, Alan was genuinely impressed. She was a student in New York City at Hunter College.
They reconnected a few weeks later when a friend invited them to supper. Alan and Arelene were seated across from one another and clearly enjoying themselves. A rum cake was resting on top of the refrigerator when it abruptly fell to the ground. Whoosh!
The refrigerator was trembling and fell in front of Alan and Arelene. Only those who were on the ground made the decision to eat the cake. They recognised they were a good match because of the drama.
They shared laughter at the same jokes as well as among themselves.
“My wife says the secret to a long marriage is a short memory,” Alan said to Closer Weekly at the New York Film Festival’s Marriage Story premiere. Plus, “Seems to work!” he exclaimed.
“We love each other and don’t get too fancy with each other,” Alan remarked. She promises me I’m going to be amazing every time I leave for work. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish much without her. I say the same thing to her. She keeps herself very busy writing and taking photos, which makes me quite proud of her.
Arlene, Alan’s wife, decided to give up singing in order to be with him more often. She has been invaluable since Alan’s Parkinson’s illness diagnosis in 2015. She is always there for him.
Two of their three daughters, Elizabeth and Beatrice, were both actresses in the past but are now special education teachers and directors, respectively.
Elizabeth made the decision that she didn’t enjoy playing. Alan told Closer Weekly, “She went on to teach the deaf and more generally special education.”
Eve, the eldest of Alan’s daughters, made the decision to remain anonymous. She attended Connecticut College to study psychology and currently resides in Winchester, Massachusetts. According to her Facebook page, she attended the Simmons School of Social Work in Boston.
In 1981, Alan thoroughly enjoyed filming “The Four Season.” In addition to directing and casting two of his kids, he also wrote the music. His wife not only produced the film but also took the images.
In 2015, Alan learned that he suffered from Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder. The idea came to him after reading an article on patients with Parkinson’s disease exhibiting peculiar symptoms in The New York Times. Playing out dreams while still asleep is one of these symptoms known as REM sleep behaviour disorder. Knowing these symptoms, Alan decided to have a brain scan from a physician.
“In my dream, I was attacked by someone, and I threw a bag of potatoes at them.” Actually, I used a pillow to strike my wife. In 2020, he stated, “So, I thought there was a good chance I had Parkinson’s.” to AARP Magazine.
When Alan visited the doctors, they weren’t sure if he had Parkinson’s disease. There wasn’t enough evidence to determine the signs’ exact meaning.
It didn’t look good when you looked at them. When the doctor called Alan back, he commented, “Boy, you really got it,” confirming that Alan actually had Parkinson’s disease.
Even though it was devastating news, Alan made the snap decision to refuse to let the illness control his life. Rather than waiting for others to tell them a “sad” narrative about him, he broke the news to them directly.
Though it was a long time ago, he has had a busy life ever since.
He claimed that after being identified, he had experienced a few twitches, but he had begun boxing as a way to cope.
Every week, I attend three combat classes. A couple of times a week, I go tennis alone. He declared, “I march to Sousa because it helps with my Parkinson’s.”
The well-known and adored actor Alan Alda discussed his views on optimism and pessimism about 2020. He said that thinking positively or negatively about what lies ahead doesn’t help.
“You just have to surf uncertainty because that’s all we get,” he stated to AARP.
“The good thing is that I keep getting more sure that I can always find a way to get around problems,” he subsequently said in an interview with People. “I’m sure that more than ever, life is all about adjusting, revising, and adapting.”
Alan keeps himself active to prevent the worsening of his Parkinson’s. In addition to having his own show called “Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda,” he plays chess with his wife. However, the illness does make it difficult for him to carry out daily tasks.
Tie your shoelaces with strength if your fingers are strong. “It’s like playing the violin with mittens on,” he said to People.
Alan believes that while many people may believe that learning they have Parkinson’s is the end of the world, that isn’t the case at all. The claim that Parkinson’s causes death is untrue.
People don’t always have to feel depressed; it happens occasionally. Even though life can be difficult at times, it nevertheless goes on. He told the Wall Street Journal, “You don’t die from it; you live with it.”
It’s not easy to work in Hollywood, be a father, and manage a serious disease all at once. But this talent has overcome all obstacles.