Alan Alda (born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A seven-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is widely known for his roles as Captain Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H (1972–1983), hosting of Scientific American Frontiers, and as Arnold Vinick in The West Wing (2004–2006). He has also appeared in many feature films, most notably in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), as pretentious television producer Lester, and The Aviator (2004) as U.S. Senator Owen Brewster, the latter of which saw Alda nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.