Alan Alda has been a staple in Hollywood since the 1960s. Most remember Alan as Hawkeye Pierce on the hit show M*A*S*H*. Even with health challenges, Alan has enjoyed a decades-long career. Doctors diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease in 2015 but kept his condition private until 2018. Alan Alda recently revealed to People that he has been suffering from prosopagnosia, or face blindness, for years.
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At one point, Alan’s face blindness even made it hard for him to recognize his own daughter.
“I saw this person with horn-rimmed glasses and blonde hair staring at me, and it was starting to get distracting,” Alan told People. “I said to the assistant director, ‘Don’t let these strangers come on the set.’ He said, ‘That’s your daughter!’ 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].”
Alan Alda Said He Has A Very Hard Time Recognizing People
The M*A*S*H* star told People that even when he works with someone for an entire day, he might not know them hours later.
“When somebody comes up to me, as if they know me, I often don’t know if they know me from seeing me on the screen or if I actually know them,” he explained. “I could have dinner with somebody, spend two hours with somebody next to me, and the next day not know who they are.”
Alan Alda credits his wife of 68 years, Arlene Alda, for being a loving and caring partner for so many years.
“She always says, ‘The secret to marriage is a short memory,'” Alan told People. “We both try to practice being there when we’re there: listening, answering, taking an interest. You can get used to somebody no matter who it is. I’ve always thought if the Pope and Mother Teresa were a couple, after a few years, they’d have to work it out.”
This story’s featured image is by Ron Adar via Shutterstock.
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