Alda to be commencement speaker

The latest job that actor Alan Alda has accepted will be the role of commencement speaker at Caltech’s 108th graduation ceremony, scheduled to take place in June.

Alda is known for his extensive body of work in the theater, film, and television, most notably on the long-running and hugely popular Korean War comedy series M*A*S*H. In the show, he played Hawkeye Pierce, a talented and recalcitrant army surgeon with a chronic case of gallows humor.

Closer to home, Alda recently played the late Richard Feynman in the Broadway hit QED. His portrayal of the eccentric and ebullient physicist won glowing reviews from both theater critics and fans of the Nobel Prize winner.

QED came about mainly due to Alda, who gave momentum to the creation of the play after reading the books by Feynman as well as his biographies. As part of his research in preparation for the play’s Los Angeles premiere, Alda visited Caltech to meet with Feynman’s contemporaries, including Murray Gell-Mann and Helen Tuck, Feynman’s former secretary.

Alda’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm for science led him to the job as host of the award-winning television show Scientific American Frontiers. For the last eight years, he has accompanied researchers into the field as they’ve gathered data. He’s also toured labs for behind-the-scenes glimpses of the latest research. The show has proven popular due to his hands-on approach and everyman’s interest in the arcane; the audience gets the feeling that it is learning along with him.

Some of Alda’s other film credits include roles in Crimes and Misdemeanors, Everyone Says I Love You, Flirting with Disaster, and Manhattan Murder Mystery. He has also written and directed episodes of M*A*S*H. Nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, Alda has won five.

This year’s commencement is scheduled for Friday, June 14, at 10 a.m. in Beckman Mall.
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