Alan Alda is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. Alan Alda is the son of an actor and singer, and his mother, was a former Miss New York. In 1956, Alda received his Bachelor of Science degree in English from Fordham College of Fordham University in the Bronx.

Alan Alda studied in Paris, acted in a play in Rome and performed with his father on television in Amsterdam. After graduation, Alan joined the U.S. Army Reserve.

A year after graduation, he married Arlene Weiss, with whom he has three daughters. Alan Alda also has seven grandchildren, two of whom are aspiring actors.