Alan Alda is the multi-Emmy winner and Oscar nominee who has received the SAG Life Achievement award on in 2019. Though primarily known for television, let’s take a look back at 15 of Alda’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1936, Alda first came to the attention of movie audiences with his leading performance in “Paper Lion” (1968), which cast him as a sportswriter posing as a quarterback for the Detroit Lions. The role brought him a Golden Globe nomination as Best Newcomer (Male).
It was just four years later that he landed the role of his career: Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H.” Based on Robert Altman‘s iconic film, the series centered on the staff at an Army hospital during the Korean War. Alda received a staggering 25 Emmy nominations for the show, winning five trophies (three for acting, one for writing, and one for directing). He won an additional Emmy for his supporting role as a senator on “The West Wing” in 2006.
On the film side, Alda earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor for Martin Scorsese‘s Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator” (2004), for which he also contended at BAFTA and at SAG as part of the ensemble. He previously competed at BAFTA for his supporting turn in Woody Allen‘s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989), which also brought him wins at the New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review. He earned Golden Globe bids for “Same Time, Next Year” (Best Comedy/Musical Actor in 1978) and “The Four Seasons” (Best Comedy/Musical Actor and Best Screenplay in 1981), which marked his feature directing debut.
Alda was recognized for his stage work as well, reaping Tony nominations for “The Apple Tree” (Best Actor in a Musical in 1967), “Jake’s Women” (Best Actor in a Play in 1992), and “Glengarry Glen Ross” (Best Featured Actor in a Play in 2005). He also competed at the Grammys for the spoken word album “Things I Learned While Talking to Myself,” so while he may only have the E portion of the EGOT, he at least contended at the G, O, and T.
Tour our photo gallery above focuses on Alda’s 15 greatest films, including a few titles the Academy should’ve recognized him for.
15. WHAT WOMEN WANT (2000)
Directed by Nancy Meyers. Screenplay by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, story by Goldsmith, Yuspa, and Diane Drake. Starring Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Lauren Holly, Mark Feuerstein, Sarah Paulson.
This romantic comedy from Nancy Meyers centers on a macho ad executive (Mel Gibson) who suddenly gains the ability to read women’s thoughts after a jolt of electricity to the brain. Spurned when his boss (Alan Alda) passes him over for a promotion in favor of a new hire (Helen Hunt), he decides to use this superpower to one-up her. But he soon learns to be a better man by listening to what women want, winning Hunt’s heart in the process. Though it fails to make the most of its interesting concept, it’s still great fun watching Gibson get in touch with his feminine side.
14. SWEET LIBERTY (1986)
Written and directed by Alan Alda. Starring Michael Caine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bob Hoskins, Lise Hilboldt, Lillian Gish.
Alda wrote, directed, and starred in this charming satire about the perils of Hollywood filmmaking. He plays Michael Burgess, a college professor whose historical novel about the Revolutionary War is being turned into a movie. When the production descends on his North Carolina hometown, he finds himself at odds with the various egos surrounding him. As a directorm Alda is quite generous, allowing for great supporting performances including Michelle Pfeiffer as the sexy ingenue, Michael Caine as the roguish leading man, and Lillian Gish as his daffy mother.
13. RESURRECTING THE CHAMP (2007)
Directed by Rod Lurie. Screenplay by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, based on the LA Times Magazine article by J.R. Moehringer. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, Rachel Nichols, David Paymer, Teri Hatcher.
“Resurrecting the Champ” is one of the more convincing newspaper dramas in recent memory, perhaps because director Rob Lurie spent years as an entertainment reporter and critic before becoming a filmmaker. It’s also a poignant sports drama, centering on a journalist (Josh Hartnett) who rescues a homeless man (Samuel L. Jackson) only to discover he’s a once great boxer long thought to be dead. Alda co-stars as Ralph Metz, the newspaper editor who pushes Hartnett to write more inspired work.
12. BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015)
Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by Matt Charman, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Jesse Plemons.
Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama tells the true story of James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), an American lawyer whose boss (Alda) recruits him to defend a Soviet spy (Mark Rylance) in court. He then has to help negotiate an exchange of the spy with a captured U.S. pilot. Like many of the director’s best efforts, “Bridge of Spies” is about an ordinary man rising to the occasion when he is caught up in something bigger than himself. The film received six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning a Supporting Actor trophy for Rylance.
11. EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU (1996)
Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Woody Allen, Drew Barrymore, Lukas Haas, Goldie Hawn, Gaby Hoffman, Natasha Lyonne, Edward Norton, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Tim Roth, David Ogden Stiers.
Jazz has always been a major element in Woody Allen’s films, so it’s not surprising he eventually made a full-on movie musical. “Everyone Says I Love You” features a large ensemble breaking into classic tunes to express the joys of romance (all expect for Drew Barrymore, whose voice was the only one dubbed). Alda plays the head of the extended family, lovingly married to Allen’s ex-wife, Goldie Hawn. Though Oscar voters ignored it (a rarity for the director) the Golden Globes did reward it with a Best Comedy/Musical Film nomination.
10. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (2008)
Written and directed by Rod Lurie. Starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Vera Farmiga.
Alda reunited with Rod Lurie for another true-life drama, this one loosely based on the Judith Miller-Valerie Plame scandal. Kate Beckinsale stars as a journalist who outs a CIA agent (Vera Farmiga), facing serious prison time when she refuses to name her source. Alda steals the show as Beckinsale’s hot-shot, high-priced attorney, who delivers a rousing closing argument in defense of the First Amendment. The film was set for a wide release before its studio, Yari Film Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It’s a shame, because had it gotten a proper theatrical run, Alda might’ve been in the running for a long overdue Oscar.
9. FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996)
Written and directed by David O. Russell. Starring Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins.
You wouldn’t think the saga of a man (Ben Stiller) searching for his biological parents would make for a good farce, yet David O. Russell mines comedic gold out of this very serious premise. That’s because everyone in the cast — including Patricia Arquette as his long-suffering wife; Tea Leoni as an incompetent social worker; Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal as his neurotic adoptive parents; Alda and Lily Tomlin as his hippie birth parents; and Josh Brolin and Richard Jenkins as married ATF agents desperate to adopt — are pitch perfect. The Independent Spirits rewarded the film with writing and directing nominations for Russell and supporting bids for Tomlin and Jenkins, though Alda was ignored.
8. THE SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN (1979)
Directed by Jerry Schatzberg. Written by Alan Alda. Starring Barbara Harris, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Melvyn Douglas.
Before his Emmy-winning turn as a Republican presidential candidate on “The West Wing,” Alda wrote and starred in this political drama as a legislator on the other side of the isle. “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” centers on a liberal Senator with higher ambitions who is tasked with leading the opposition to a Supreme Court nominee. Meanwhile, he begins an affair with a labor lawyer (Meryl Streep), jeopardizing his marriage and his career. Directed with a steady hand by Jerry Schatzberg, the film proves that politics were just as murky then as they are now.
7. PAPER LION (1968)
Directed by Alex March. Screenplay by Lawrence Roman, based on the book by George Plimpton. Starring Lauren Hutton, Joe Schmidt, Vince Lombardi, Alex Karras, John Gordy, Mike Lucci, Pat Studstill, Roger Brown, Karl Sweetan.
Alda’s big breakthrough came with a star-making turn in this sports docudrama. He plays George Plimpton (on whose non-fiction book the film is based), an intrepid sportswriter who poses as a rookie quarterback for the Detroit Lions in order to pen a “Sports Illustrated” article. Unfortunately, he’s not that good of a player, as witnessed during some brutally tough games. “Paper Lion” brought Alda a Golden Globe nomination for Best Newcomer (Male), pointing the way towards a long career in film and television.
6. CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978)
Directed by Herbert Ross. Screenplay by Neil Simon, based on his play. Starring Michael Caine, Bill Cosby, Jane Fonda, Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Dana Plato, Richard Pryor, Maggie Smith.
The works of Neil Simon have provided great sandboxes for actors to play in, including Alda. “California Suite” consists of four skits set at a luxurious Beverly Hills hotel, with guests arriving from around the globe. In the first segment, “Visitors from New York,” Alda plays a successful screenwriter who bickers with his ex-wife (Jane Fonda) about who their teenage daughter (Dana Plato) should live with. Maggie Smith won Best Supporting Actress for playing an Oscar-nominee on her way to the ceremony with her husband (Michael Caine).
5. MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993)
Directed by Woody Allen. Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman. Starring Woody Allen, Anjelica Huston, Diane Keaton.
“Manhattan Murder Mystery” is the Wood-man at his most playful, a sly and charming whodunit about a middle-aged couple (Woody Allen and Diane Keaton) investigating the puzzling death of their neighbor’s wife. Alda and Anjelica Huston give hilarious support as the duo’s friends. It’s utterly delightful to see Allen and Keaton together again after so many years apart, in what was originally intended to be a subplot for their Oscar-winning “Annie Hall.” Although Keaton contended at the Golden Globes and Huston was nominated at the BAFTAs, the Academy didn’t have much of a funny bone when it came to this one.
4. SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR (1978)
Directed by Robert Mulligan. Screenplay by Bernard Slade, based on his play. Starring Ellen Burstyn.
This adaptation of Bernard Slade’s Broadway hit doesn’t exactly re-invent the wheel cinematically, but it does provide Alda and Ellen Burstyn with a fine acting showcase. Directed by Robert Mulligan, “Same Time, Next Year” concerns a man and woman who meet by chance at a California inn in 1951. Though they’re both married to other people, they agree to meet at the resort once a year for a weekend-long romantic getaway. Over the course of 25 years, they witness cultural changes in the country while carrying on their affair. Alda contended at the Golden Globes for the film, though only Burstyn was nominated at the Oscars.
3. THE FOUR SEASONS (1981)
Written and directed by Alan Alda. Starring Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, Bess Armstrong, Elizabeth Alda, Beatrice Alda.
After helming more than a dozen “M*A*S*H” episodes and a couple of TV movies, Alda made his feature filmmaking debut with this delightful comedy, which he also wrote and starred in. “The Four Seasons” centers on a three married couples — Alda and Carol Burnett; Len Cariou and Sandy Dennis; Jack Weston and Rita Moreno — who take vacations together in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Over the course of a year, they are faced with a series of mid-life, marital, and parental crises, including the replacement of Dennis with a younger woman (Bess Armstrong). The film brought Alda a WGA nomination and Golden Globe bids for acting and writing. Unfortunately, the Academy overlooked him.
2. THE AVIATOR (2004)
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by John Logan. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law.
After decades in the business, Alda earned his sole Oscar nomination for Martin Scorsese’s supremely entertaining biopic. “The Aviator” recounts the true story of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), the eccentric billionaire who tried his hand at filmmaking and piloting before being consumed by obsessive compulsive disorder. Alda chews the scenery as Senator Owen Brewster, a Washington crony who accuses Hughes of being a war profiteer for building the Spruce Goose, the world’s largest airplane. The film earned 11 Oscar nominations and won five trophies, including Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett’s uncanny turn as Katharine Hepburn. Alda lost his bid to Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”).
1. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989)
