Alan Alda on 30 Rock, M*A*S*H, and His Near-Death Experience: "I Was Glad to Be Alive in a Way I Never Had Been Before"

Alan Alda — six-time Emmy winner, Oscar nominee, Tony nominee, and the beloved Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H — returned for his third guest appearance on NBC's 30 Rock as Milton Greene (Alec Baldwin's father). Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

Alan Alda has been living an extraordinary life with a distinguished career. His sharp wit and genuine personality made him ideal for the role of Milton Greene — Alec Baldwin's father — on 30 Rock. Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series M*A*S*H, writing and directing many of the episodes. His 33 Emmy nominations include performances in 2009 for 30 Rock, in 2006 for The West Wing (winning his 6th Emmy), and in 1999 for ER. In 2005 alone he was nominated for an Oscar (The Aviator), a Tony (Glengarry Glen Ross revival), and an Emmy (The West Wing) — and published a bestselling book.

On comparing M*A*S*H to 30 Rock: "When I first went on 30 Rock — and this is now the third time I've been on the show — I had the same feeling about the group there that I had when we were doing M*A*S*H. It's a very collaborative company. Everybody knows where they're going and what they're doing. They all recognize one another's unique personalities. And they work with them. They play with them. They're very tuned into one another. Just the same way we were. Plus they're taking chances and we took chances. We were officially a comedy but we worked in drama and satire and all kinds of different forms. I think 30 Rock is expanding to another kind of comedy and that's risky. But the people who love it recognize how interesting and funny in a new way it is."

On his near-death experience in Chile in 2003: "Almost exactly seven years ago — October 19 — I was in Chile doing my science show about Scientific American Frontiers. It was the last interview of the tenth season, on top of a mountain talking to astronomers. I got this pain in my stomach and it turned out to be a blocked intestine. About a yard of my intestine had to be taken out in the middle of the night in an emergency operation. I did nearly die. It came within a couple of hours of checking out. When the operation was over and I realized I had survived, it really did make a tremendous impression on me. I was glad to be alive in a way I never had been before. And it stuck with me. No matter how tough things get, I think — this isn't so bad, because I was supposed to be dead by now."

On the bonus years since his near-death experience: "I've had seven years of a wonderful life that was extra, that was a bonus. When I get a chance to do something new, something interesting, something I had never done before — like write a couple of books, like being on 30 Rock — it's very exciting to me. And by comparison those things are trivial compared to seeing my grandchildren grow up and seeing my daughters mature and become who they were destined to be from the time they were little girls. But I might not have seen that. So it has changed my life and I enjoy things a lot more. I even enjoy complaining more."

On Tina Fey: "Tina is relatively new on the scene. And it just amazes me how much ability she has in so many areas. She can satirize. She can impersonate. She writes like a dream. And she's a wonderful actress. And she's really fun to be with. She's really an amazing character to me."

On what acting taught him about himself: "I think it's very possible that I wouldn't have learned to get in touch with my emotions the way I have to because it's my professional obligation to. And there are an awful lot of people who don't have to and don't get in touch with their emotions. And I guess those are the ones with children who grow up saying their father was cold and that kind of thing."

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