The Life of Legendary MASH* Actor Alan Alda

Before publishing his memoir, Alda had a serious medical emergency while in Chile for a film. He had traveled there to visit a mountaintop observatory and interview astronomers, but the trip turned dangerous when he developed an intestinal obstruction.

The condition required emergency surgery and could have killed him. Alda later said the experience changed the way he thought about time, work, and mortality, making him feel as if he had been given another chance at life.