Alan Alda had near-death experience in 2003 ; new book is search for meaning . Comment: `` I was standing , waiting for the word 'action ' to come out of a building for the first shot of the show , '' he recalls . Alda uses fear of certain challenges to motivate himself .
Alan Alda had near-death experience in 2003 ; new book is search for meaning . Comment: Alda uses fear of certain challenges to motivate himself .