Alan Alda, the six-time Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner, has three daughters: Eve, Elizabeth, and Beatrice Alda. The M*A*S*H actor's legacy extends through both his celebrated career and his family life, including a marriage to Arlene Alda that has lasted over 68 years.
Profile and Family Overview
Born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo on 28 January 1936 in New York City, Alan Alda is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. He stands 6'2" (188 cm) tall with grey/white hair and blue eyes. His estimated net worth is $50 million, according to multiple sources.
Alda married Arlene Weiss, a young clarinettist who had just graduated from Hunter College, on 15 March 1957. At the time, Alda was a struggling actor. The couple has three daughters, each pursuing a different professional path, though two appeared alongside their father in The Four Seasons (1981).
Eve Alda: Psychologist and Political Activist
Eve Alda Coffey was born on 18 December 1958, making her 68 years old. She works as a psychologist and political activist, residing in Winchester, Massachusetts. Eve attended Leonia Alternative High School before earning a psychology degree from Connecticut College in May 1980 and a Master of Social Work from Simmons University School of Social Work.
Her career encompasses psychology, therapy, and political activism. She served as a presidential election field organiser for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2016 and contributed to Elaine Luria's 2018 congressional campaign. Eve operates The Three Faces of Eve, a website design company, and works as a political text bank leader for NextGen America and Indivisible.
Eve married James M. Coffey, a former US Air Force technician, on 26 May 1990. He died from oesophageal cancer in December 2022. The couple had two sons together.
Elizabeth Alda: From Acting to Education
Elizabeth Alda was born on 20 August 1960, making her 66 years old. She is a former actress who transitioned to become a literacy coach and teacher. Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Kenyon College, followed by a Master of Education in special education from Northeastern University in 2022 and a Doctor of Education in 2018.
She briefly pursued acting, appearing in Night of the Creeps (1986), The Four Seasons (1981 film and 1984 television series), and the 1984 film. Elizabeth transitioned to education after working with students with learning differences. Speaking to Mash Matters, she described her almost natural career transition: "I started to realise that I really, really enjoyed it; it gave me more creative enjoyment than the acting was giving me."
She currently serves as a literacy coach for The Learning Centre for the Deaf in Framingham, Massachusetts. Her daughter, Elle O'Heaney, has severe dyslexia, an experience that shaped Elizabeth's specialism in learning difficulties and deaf education.
Beatrice Alda: Actress and Filmmaker
Beatrice Alda was born on 10 August 1961 in New York City, making her 65 years old. She is an actress, filmmaker, producer, and director. Beatrice began her acting career playing Lisa Callan in the 1981 film The Four Seasons alongside her father Alan Alda and Carol Burnett. She earned acting credits in A New Life (1988) and Men of Respect (1990).
As a filmmaker, she co-directed and produced two documentaries with filmmaker J. Brooke: Out Late (2008), which follows the lives of people who came out as LGBTQ+ in later life, and Legs: A Big Issue in a Small Town (2016), about a controversy surrounding a Larry Rivers sculpture. Beatrice co-directed Out Late alongside Jennifer Brooke to highlight the distinct experiences and challenges of coming out as LGBTQ+ later in life.
Alan Alda's Face Blindness and Parkinson's Disease
During filming of The Four Seasons, Alan Alda failed to recognise his daughter Beatrice on set because of prosopagnosia, a neurological condition that impairs facial recognition. Beatrice had dyed her hair blonde for her character. Alda told the assistant director to remove "that stranger," not realising it was his own daughter. As he recalled in a May 2025 interview with People: "I don't think she was too happy about that, because neither of us knew that there was such a thing as face blindness at the time."
Alda has explained that prosopagnosia means he may fail to recognise people he has spent hours with, making social and professional interactions particularly challenging. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015, after reading an article about REM sleep behaviour disorder, a condition linked to Parkinson's, and recognising his own symptoms. He had noticed he was physically acting out his dreams, including throwing a pillow at his wife during the night. He made the diagnosis public in July 2018, three and a half years after receiving it.
Net Worth and Latest News
Alan Alda's estimated net worth is $50 million, primarily from his 11-year run as Captain Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H, one of the highest-rated television series in US history, along with directing, screenwriting, and book royalties. Income sources include acting fees and syndication residuals from M*A*S*H (1972–1983), directing credits on stage and film, book royalties (including Never Have Your Dog Stuffed and If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?), and speaking engagements.
In May 2025, Alan Alda, then 89, spoke to People magazine about living with prosopagnosia and the set incident with Beatrice. He also provided an update on managing his Parkinson's disease, confirming he continues to stay active with exercises including juggling and tennis. He has continued to act, write, and advocate for science communication through the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.
