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Alan Alda: West Wing
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In 2005, Alan Alda earned the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy and made The New York Times bestseller list, all in the same year. He received the Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA Award nomination for Martin Scorsese’s "The Aviator,†the Emmy nomination and a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for his portrayal of Arnold Vinick, the Republican candidate for the presidency in NBC’s hit series "The West Wing,†and the Tony nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s "Glengarry Glen Ross.†That same year, Alda’s memoir, entitled "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and Other Things I’ve Learned,†became a best seller.
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Alda's rebirth began with him playing two memorable bastards, who, by coincidence, happen to be Republican members of the Senate. Alda has propped up NBC's floundering West Wing with his role as Arnold Vinick, a slick GOP pol with his eyes on the presidency. His opponent—try to maintain a straight face—is Jimmy Smits, playing Matthew Santos, the first Hispanic presidential candidate. On Sunday night's episode, Vinick was up to dirty tricks. He zinged Santos by pledging devotion to guest-worker visas, border security, and free-trade agreements—the so-called Hispanic issues. Vinick, who is pro-choice... confided to religious conservatives that he would appoint a slate of pro-life judges.
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Alda denies that in 1995 he briefly considered running for the United States Senate in New Jersey. About this time, he starred as the President in Michael Moore's political satire/comedy film Canadian Bacon. In 1996, Alda played Henry Ford in Camping With Henry and Tom, based on the book by Mark St. Germain. Beginning in 2004, Alda was a regular cast member on the NBC program The West Wing, portraying Republican U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Arnold Vinick, until the show's conclusion in May 2006. He made his premiere in the sixth season's eighth episode, "In The Room," and was added to the opening credits with the thirteenth episode, "King Corn." In August 2006, Alda won an Emmy for his portrayal of Arnold Vinick in the final season of The West Wing.
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Alda ... established a reputation as a political activist. He was a strong supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and, in 1995, entertained the idea of running for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey. Several years later, he played a senator on the TV series The West Wing. Going against type, he played a corrupt politician in the 2004 movie The Aviator, for which he received an Oscar nomination.
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This spring, Alda will tackle one of the stage’s toughest roles, as the hard-bitten real-estate salesman Shelly in a Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. And as Martin Sheen exits The West Wing, Alda has returned to weekly television to play Sheen’s potential successor. As Arnold Vinick, a tough California conservative, Alda portrays the Republicans’ presidential front-runner—an alpha male even Tucker Carlson could love.
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There's another reason for Alda's awakening. Squishy liberal humanism isn't much of a draw these days. It's squishy conservative humanism that's in vogue. The West Wing began in 1999 as a dreamlike vision of the Clinton presidency, a harbor for disillusioned liberals to watch Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe scratch their chins. The West Wing has moved steadily rightward, and now, with a crumbling audience (it ranked 34th among prime-time shows last season), the show, like the country, is a bifurcated realm. When Smits isn't on screen, Alda presides as the show's tortured Republican conscience.
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