There are few television actors as beloved as Alan Alda. For 11 years — eight more than the actual Korean War lasted — he played wisecracking U.S. Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M.A.S.H.”
One of television’s biggest hits, the “M.A.S.H.” series finale holds the record for the most-watched episode of scripted television in history, watched by an estimated 105.9 million viewers.
Alda, who turned 90 in January, recently sat down with “CBS Sunday Morning,” where he discussed topics including his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.
‘I Can’t Wish It Away’
Alda went public with his diagnosis in 2018, three-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with the degenerative disease, for which there is no cure.
As he told “CBS Sunday Morning,” the nature of the disease has forced him to confront it head-on, and he’s fully aware his condition will only worsen over time.
“I really think reality is my friend,” he said.
“I don’t want to wish it away. I can’t wish it away. I can’t hope for a better future. I gotta accept what is,” he shared.
He Approaches Parkinson’s with Humor
In the interview, Alda recalled experiencing his first symptom at age 79, but not really understanding what it meant.
“I had no twitch, no tremor, no problems with my voice,” Alda said.
Instead, he experienced a symptom that “was not that well-known” at the time, which he described as “acting out your dreams.
Alda recalled, “I had a dream that somebody was attacking me. And I picked up a sack of potatoes and threw it at ’em. What I was really doing was throwing a pillow at Arlene, my wife.”
Despite going public about his diagnosis, Alda isn’t allowing the disease change how he lives his life.
“I don’t let Parkinson’s define me. It’s not who I am,” he said, jokingly adding, “It’s just a hobby.”
In fact, he revealed that joking about his symptoms has been an effective way of coping.
“The best way to deal with anything that’s a little bit of a problem is to find out what’s funny about it and laugh at it,” he shared. “I’ll be at the computer keyboard writing an email, and Dr. Parkinson is moving my hand all over the screen. I have the mouse, and he’s eliminating things and he’s deleting things that I need.”
Added Alda: “I find what makes me laugh about it, and then I go tell Arlene.”
Still Acting
After “M*A*S*H” ended its 11-season run, Alda embarked on a movie career before returning to television with an Emmy-nominated stint on hit 1990s TV medical drama “ER.”
Now that he’s in his 90s, he’s understandably lightened his acting load considerably, although he’s far from retired.
Recent projects have included roles in TV series including “Ray Donovan,” “The Good Fight” and, most recently, Tina Fey’s Netflix comedy “The Four Seasons,” which she adapted from Alda’s 1981 movie.
Alda, who wrote, starred in and directed the film, has made cameo appearances in both seasons of Fey’s series, which was recently renewed for a third season.
“I don’t know how old Tina is, but I think she was barely born when the movie came out, so it was very flattering to hear that she was interested in doing a series based on it,” Alda told Vanity Fair of her revival.
Comments
TV Icon Alan Alda Opens Up About Parkinson’s Battle, Admits ‘I Gotta Accept What Is’