Alan Alda Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, comedian and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he played Hawkeye Pierce in the war television series "M*A*S*H" (1972–1983). He has also appeared on television programs such as "Scientific American Frontiers", "The West Wing", and "30 Rock", and in films such as "Same Time, Next Year" (1978) and "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989). He also experienced success as a director with 1981's "The Four Seasons". In 2004, Alda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in
M*A*S*H (TV series) was at risk of being cancelled. In season two, "M*A*S*H" was placed in a better time slot by CBS (airing after the popular "All in the Family"); the show then became one of the top 10 programs of the year and stayed in the top 20 programs for the rest of its run. It is still broadcast in syndication on various television stations. The series, which depicted events occurring during a three-year war, spanned 256 episodes and lasted 11 seasons. The Korean War lasted 1,128 days, meaning each episode of the series would have averaged almost four and a half