‘MASH’ Star Alan Alda Shares Major Update on Parkinson’s Disease Battle

M*A*S*H actor Alan Alda is giving fans an update on his health amid his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease. After revealing that he had been diagnosed with the progressive nervous system disorder in 2018, the 83-year-old Emmy winner sat down during the 3rd hour of the Today show Wednesday, revealing that he is doing “good.”

“I’m good. I shake a little, but I’m good. I work out. You can hold back the progress if you do a lot of specific exercises, so I do a lot of crazy things,” he said.

Among the “crazy things” that Aldan does boxing, juggling, tennis, swimming, bike riding, and marching, Alda revealing how he likes to “march to Sousa music,” referring to composer John Philip Sousa. More than that, though, the actor is keeping plenty busy with work, as he is set to appear in the upcoming film Marriage Story and also stars in Showtime’s Ray Donovan as well as continued his podcast, Clear + Vivid.

“I feel good,” he said. “I work so hard, I guess that’s part of it. I feel like a kid because I’m working so hard.”

Best known for his portrayal of Army Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce in CBS’ M*A*S*H, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner had revealed in July of last year that he had been diagnosed with the disease more than three years ago.

“This is a disease that’s different for almost everybody who has it. There are some common symptoms but mostly everybody’s different, and each day is different from the next. One day you wake up and think, ‘Oh it’s over, it’s gone.’ The next day it’s back and a little worse,” he said.

“I’m not angry. Because it’s a challenge,” he said, likening it to crossing a busy street full of passing cars. “You don’t just sit on the pavement and say, ‘Well I guess I’ll never cross the street again.’ You find a way to do it.”

At the time, Alda revealed that he began to suspect something was wrong with his health after he noticed his thumb twitching in a video of himself. After receiving the diagnosis, he chose to go public in the hopes that it would help others with Parkinson’s.

“The thing I want folks to know, and this is not to shortchange folks suffering with really severe symptoms…but in the very beginning, to be immobilized by fear and to think the very worst thing has happened to you — [that] hasn’t happened to you. There are still things you can do,” he said, adding that he’s taking boxing lessons three times a week, playing tennis and even marching because “it’s good for Parkinson’s disease.”

Along with starring in M*A*S*H, Alda has worked in genres from dramatic films like The Aviator to his comedic role in Tower Heist to a politically charged role on The West Wing. He was also the host of PBS’ Scientific American Frontiers for 13 years.