His acting days are over, but his drive to inspire and help others is unstoppable
Do you still consider yourself a lucky man?
Absolutely. It began with the tough working-class family I was born into. My mom was a payroll clerk; my dad was in the Army for 25 years and then a police dispatcher. And they had this freak son who did all this acting and music, and they didn’t know where I came from, but they figured out how to help me. I told my father I was moving to Hollywood when I dropped out of high school, and he drove me down, because I was making a living. And my mother, at 92, is still great, full of advice. Then I met the woman I married and had the children I had and lived the life I live. Still, it’s hard to explain to people how lucky I am, because I also have Parkinson’s. Some days are a struggle. Some days are more difficult than others. But the disease is this thing that’s attached to my life — it isn’t the driver. And because I have assets, I have access to things others don’t. I wouldn’t begin to compare my experience to that of a working guy who gets Parkinson’s and has to quit his job and find a new way to live. So, I’m really lucky.
