James Reynolds, 80, Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis, Writes It Into Days of Our Lives
James Reynolds, 80, who has played Abe Carver on Days of Our Lives for 45 years, has revealed he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease years ago. The show is now writing the illness into his character's storyline after colleagues encouraged him to go public.
Days of Our Lives star James Reynolds, 80, has revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease years ago and kept it secret until now. He has gone public by folding the illness into the storyline of his character, Abe Carver.
Reynolds said in an interview that he had lived with the progressive illness for "more than a few years". He "thought [he] was hiding it".
Who knew, and who guessed
Only a handful of people knew at first, including his wife and his son. Then the cast and crew began to notice.
"You could see my hand shaking. You could see different things," Reynolds said. He added that his symptoms had become "obvious".
When he opened up to his colleagues, they responded with support. The show's writers encouraged him to make the diagnosis part of Abe.
Reynolds said that reaction has made the illness easier to cope with. He told the interviewer he has more energy on set than anywhere else.
A career built on one role
Reynolds has played Abe for 45 years. In 2018 he won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the part.
He has one child, a 47-year-old son named Jed, with his first wife, Laura Toffenetti. The pair divorced in 1984. Reynolds married Lissa Layng in 1985, and they have been husband and wife for more than 50 years.
Other stars with Parkinson's
Reynolds is not the first screen name to speak publicly about the condition. Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991 and was initially told he would be unable to work within a matter of years.
Fox went public in 1998, became an advocate and still acts today. Alan Alda, Ian Holm and Robin Williams have also shared their experiences.
Parkinson's is a degenerative disorder of the nervous system. It often shows first as a tremor or stiffness in the hands, feet or jaw.
Over time, symptoms can grow to include slowed movement, speech changes and loss of balance. There is no cure, but treatments are available.
Life mirrored on screen
Reynolds said the soap has a habit of reflecting real struggles. "We play life here, and there are many other characters who have gone through real-life issues that then are mirrored on the show," he said.
He said that is what he values in Abe. "I feel like the value of Abe [is] as a character who overcomes a lot, has tremendous amount of strength, deals with a lot of things with humor as well as understanding."
