For nearly seven decades, Arlene Alda has been the quiet, unwavering presence beside her husband, actor Alan Alda. Their 68-year marriage is a testament to enduring love, built on patience, humor, and mutual support. Now 89, Alan faces the daily realities of Parkinson’s disease, but Arlene remains his steady anchor. The first signs of the condition were surprisingly subtle—years before any diagnosis, Alan had a vivid dream in which he threw a pillow at Arlene, thinking it was a sack of potatoes being used in an attack. This odd moment lingered in his memory.

That memory became more meaningful when Alan later read a New York Times column by Jane Brody, which mentioned that acting out dreams could be an early indicator of Parkinson’s. Though his doctor saw no other symptoms, Alan trusted his instincts and pursued a brain scan, leading to his diagnosis in 2015. Rather than give in to fear, he chose a proactive path, maintaining a disciplined routine of exercise—boxing, tennis, tai chi, even juggling—to help manage the disease. His consistent message to others has been one of hope: don’t be discouraged, keep moving, and fight back against the disease’s progression.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological condition that affects movement, balance, and muscle control. Symptoms like slowed movement, resting tremors, and stiffness gradually worsen over time, and can be seen in Alan’s more recent public appearances. The condition doesn’t stop at physical symptoms—it can also affect mood, sleep, memory, and concentration. Alan also lives with prosopagnosia, or face blindness, which makes it difficult for him to recognize familiar people, adding another layer of challenge to his daily life.

Despite all this, Alan Alda has never walked away from his passion. He has continued acting, giving speeches, and taking on new creative projects. He famously starred as Hawkeye Pierce in MASH* for 11 seasons—earning two Emmys and later an Oscar nomination for The Aviator. Even now, he remains active in the industry, recently appearing in a Netflix reboot of his 1981 film The Four Seasons. He often jokes that acting is his “side gig” while managing Parkinson’s has become his full-time job.

At the heart of Alan’s remarkable life is his relationship with Arlene, a love story that began in 1956 at a college party—bonding over a fallen rum cake they both ate off the floor. That moment of shared laughter convinced Alan she was the one. As Alan’s career soared, Arlene built her own path as a photographer and musician. Now in their late 80s, their bond is stronger than ever, grounded in small acts of love and shared laughter. Alan often says that the greatest joy in his life is simply “laughing with my wife,” a simple pleasure that has endured through fame, illness, and time.