Alan Alda, the legendary face of Captain Pierce Hawkeye from “M*A*S*H,” met his wife, Arlene Weiss, over cake. It may seem strange, but the actor insisted it was the perfect way for them to meet. After that incident, they did not doubt they were perfect for each other.
In 1956, the two attended a mutual friend’s party. At the time, Alda attended Fordham, while Arlene went to Hunter College. The actor, always the joker, was sitting at the other end of the table spouting wisecracks.
While he was making quips, Arlene was at the other end of the table, laughing at everything he said. Alan recalled, “I was captivated… I heard her at the end of the table laughing at my jokes.” At that same party, there was a rum cake on top of a refrigerator that dropped on the floor, with Alan recounting:
“Arlene and I were the only two people who went in with spoons and ate it off the floor. That’s how you know. When two people eat a cake off the floor, that’s it for life.”
After their dinner date, Alan took Arlene home to the Bronx, “unheard of” for a guy from Manhattan. Eleven months later, the two tied the knot with a small, modest wedding. At the time, they didn’t expect the fame ahead of them. They merely wanted to live a comfortable life.
Sixty-eight years later, a dropped cake still seems like a firm foundation for a relationship. Even in their old age, they still enjoy laughing together. The two came a long way from the small apartment they shared when they were young, but they still support each other wholeheartedly.
After almost seven decades together, the two are still going strong. With endless jokes between them and a deep concern for each other, they still love one another in their old age. Each is over 80 years old, but they’re actively pursuing their passions, with Arlene explaining:
“I have a blurb to write for someone’s book. I have soup I want to cook. I have a good chicken I want to roast. I have a book I’m reading that I want to finish. I have email correspondence. I have Facebook posts.”
While Arlene flits about with her long list of tasks, Alan writes and hosts his podcast, “Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda.” Despite this, they always make time for each other. The couple mentioned that laughing together is “the real glue that keeps us happily and willingly stuck together.”
The two “Guffawing ones,” as Arlene described them, also brought little ones into the world. They have three daughters, Eve, Elizabeth, and Beatrice Alda. They initially raised their kids on a slim salary; then Alan soon got the part of Hawkeye. But then it became a matter of time management.
Alan was almost constantly working, and Arlene had to care for the children. Meanwhile, she didn’t want to become a bystander while her husband did something with his life, so she took up photography and started writing projects. They made it through even these tough spots with loads of laughter.
Despite successfully raising their daughters during one of the busiest times, the actors had their health luckily. In 2015, however, Alan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He kept it quiet until 2018, when he announced it publicly for the first time..
Even in his old age, Alan has continued to act in TV shows and movies. When asked how Parkinson’s affected his career, he said he has been open with the crew about his disease. In many cases, directors weren’t scared off by the illness but saw new opportunities to deepen Alan’s characters.
Despite his diagnosis, Alan remains positive. He has created a happy life for himself. He spends his days doing his podcast and playing chess with Arlene, and he said, “laughing with my wife” makes him happiest, and the disease has made him sure life is a process of “adapting, adjusting, and revising.”