Bergen County's Alan Alda: 'I Have Parkinson's Disease'

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Actor Alan Alda revealed on television Tuesday he has Parkinson's disease.

Alda, a Leonia native, said on "CBS This Morning" he was diagnosed with the disease more than three years ago.

"I've had a full life since then," Alda said during the interview. "I've acted, I've given talks, I help at the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook, I started this new podcast."

Alda said he wanted to announce his diagnosis now after seeing his thumb twitch in recent television interviews talking about the podcast.

"I could see my thumb twitch in some shots and I thought, it's probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view, but that's not where I am," Alda said.

Alda is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor who is probably best known for his portrayal of "Hawkeye" Pierce on "M*A*S*H*" and a senator on "The West Wing." He also appeared in the films "The Aviator" and "Tower Heist."

Photo: Actor Alan Alda attends the Lincoln Center Hall Of Fame Gala at the Alice Tully Hall on June 6, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Lincoln Center)