‘M*A*S*H’ Star Alan Alda Rarely Appeared in Public for Several Years While Fighting Parkinson’s – Photos

• A young actor called Alan Alda an "absolute treasure."
• The star is confident he will always "find a workaround" through his struggles.
• He noticed his thumb twitching during interviews while promoting his podcast.

Alan Alda returned to Broadway this week as a theater elder statesman, not as a performer. He delighted the revival cast of "Purlie Victorious" when he attended a performance on Tuesday.

The original production of the satire, written by Ossie Davis, who also portrayed the lead, was staged in 1961 and ran for 261 performances until it closed in 1962. Alda originated the role of Charlie Cotchipee, the son of a plantation owner.

The veteran actor is part of the producing team, which includes Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Kerry Washington, Phylicia Rashad, Nicolette Robinson, and the actor playing the title role in the revival, Leslie Odom Jr.

Alda reportedly told the production leads, Odom Jr. and Kara Young, that he could see their commitment in their performance, and he felt the presence of the performers who originated their parts, Davis and Ruby Dee.

"He's an absolute treasure," Noah Robbins, the actor portraying the plantation owner's son, said, "and meeting and conversing with him was a highlight of my life." It was the first time he met the 87-year-old actor in person, having only spoken to him over the phone.

"The cast was thrilled," a source said. The "M*A*S*H" actor lamented the importance of the play to the cast, especially considering the state of the world and his plan to bring family back. "His wife was taking cell phone video on her phone, too, which was cute," the source added.

The couple's outing to the Music Box Theatre in New York City is a rare public sighting of the actor diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015. Alda and his wife, Alene Weiss, met in 1956 as students.

She caught his attention at a mutual friend's dinner party when he heard her laughing at his jokes. They became "inseparable" after they were the only ones to eat a rum cake off the floor. "She had me at Ha," he tweeted when rehashing the story in 2021.

Why Alan Alda Decided to Go Public with His Parkinson's Diagnosis

Updating the public about his health in October 2022, Alda said he was "feeling good" and continuing with work as it can slow the condition. "Tying shoelaces can be a challenge with stiff fingers," he admitted:

"Think of playing the violin while wearing mittens. The silver lining is that I keep getting more confident that I can always find a workaround."

The New Yorker spoke out about his condition for the first time on "CBS This Morning" at the end of July 2018. Alda explained that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's three and a half years before.

He had been doing a lot of TV interviews that year to promote his podcast, "Clear + Vivid," and he noticed his thumb twitch in some footage. Alan Alda decided to go public before someone did a story about him, painting him and his condition from a sad point of view when that was not where he was.