Alan Alda Reveals His Favorite Activity With His Grandkids: ‘We Like to Laugh’

Family time will always be special for Alan Alda! The M*A*S*H actor is a doting dad to kids Eve, 61, Elizabeth, 59, and Beatrice, 58, and an even prouder grandpa to their 8 children. While exclusively speaking with Closer Weekly during season 7 of his podcast “Clear+Vivid,” Alan, 84, revealed what he loves to do the most with his grandchildren.

“We like to laugh,” The West Wing star gushes. “Everybody is good at making everybody else laugh and [it’s always] entertaining to hang out together.”

Alan loves his grandkids so much that he doesn’t mind buying gifts for them every now and then. For the New York native, it’s just a testament to how much he really cares. “I don’t think of it as spoiling. They know we love them,” he says. “I think you can’t express too much how you care for someone, it doesn’t spoil them.”

In fact, some of his grandkids are already working! “One decided to be an actor and is doing well, another one is working for a PR firm and is doing very well. They all met their own interests,” Alan explains. And if his grandson ever needs help from the six-time Golden Globe winner, then Alan doesn’t mind offering up some advice. “I will often talk about acting with him, sure,” the seasoned actor says.

However, the one thing Alan wants his grandkids and children to learn is that it takes a lot to be with the person you love. “I think that one of the things that I’ve noticed, that all three of [my kids have] taken for granted [is that] you travel long distances [to be with the people you love,”] he explains. “They saw me and Arlene do that all during our marriage, all during their lives.”

It’s easy to understand why the two lovebirds’ kids want to have a romance like their parents’. Arlene and her hubby have been married since 1957 and they’re still going strong!