Happy 89th Birthday, Alan Alda!

The legendary Hawkeye Pierce from MAS*H, award-winning actor, director, and beloved icon turns 89 today. With your incredible warmth, wit, and talent, you’ve entertained and inspired generations for decades.

Still smiling bright and full of life — here’s to many more wonderful years ahead!

From the muddy tents of the 4077th to your incredible work championing science communication, you have spent a lifetime trying to heal the world—not just with a fictional scalpel, but with empathy, clarity, and an unrelenting curiosity.

You didn’t just give television one of its most complex and deeply human characters. You gave us all a masterclass in how to use humor to survive the dark, and how to use intelligence to bring people closer together. Even today, facing the challenges of Parkinson’s disease with profound grace and radical acceptance, you continue to teach us how to live courageously.

Through every episode directed, every book written, and every conversation sparked on your Clear+Vivid podcast, your mission has never wavered: making sure people feel heard, understood, and a little less alone.

Hawkeye flew away in a chopper decades ago, leaving a quiet message spelled out in white stones. But the man who played him? You never left us. You are still right here, still bridging the gaps between us, and still showing us the absolute beauty of a life well-lived.

Thank you for the laughter. Thank you for the tears. And thank you for the enduring warmth you have shared with the world.

Salute to you, Alan. Happy 89th!