‘Days Of Our Lives’ Actor James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis; Condition Being Written Into Storyline

James Reynolds, who has played Abe Carver on Days of Our Lives for 45 years, has revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and that his condition will be worked into the storyline of the long-running soap.

In an interview with ET (watch it below), Reynolds, 80, concedes that he initially tried to mask his symptoms while on set but that he was increasingly unsuccessful.

Asked about the decision to address the diagnosis within the storyline, Reynolds said, “Well, it kind of goes back to when I thought I was hiding it. The writers also wanted to incorporate because it was obvious. It was obvious. And we play life here.”

Reynolds continued, “And there are many other characters who have gone through real-life issues that then are mirrored on the show, and this is an issue that it is going to be mirrored on the show and there’s nothing any of us can really do about it.”

The actor, who is the longest-running Black actor in a single series in television history, said he feels his character is particularly well-suited to the storyline. “I feel like the value of Abe as a character [is he] overcomes a lot, has tremendous amount of strength, deals with a lot of things with humor as well as understanding.”

Reynolds, who has kept his diagnosis private except for family for a few years, says the symptoms – shaky hands, occasional balance issues, sometimes a shortness of breath – become increasingly difficult to conceal. “I thought I was hiding it but I wasn’t. You play that game with yourself.”

The actor said in the last few weeks he realized he might have been showing early symptoms – “horrible dreams” that caused him to thrash and fall out of bed – as long as 15 to 20 years ago, a realization he said he came to after watching actor Alan Alda’s recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, during which Alda said his earliest Parkinsons symptom was acting out his dreams. (Watch Alda’s interview below.)