Lethal Weapon actor Danny Glover, 79, has publicly revealed he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease shortly after receiving an honorary Oscar in 2022. In a NBC Today Show interview aired on July 16, 2025, Glover shared that his movements, speech, and memory have slowed, but he remains active and wants to help reduce the stigma around the disease.
Danny Glover—one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon franchise—has just made a deeply personal and courageous announcement: he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
The news broke on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, when a pre-taped interview with former NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt aired on The Today Show. In it, the 79-year-old actor revealed that he received his diagnosis “not long” after being designated for an honorary Oscar in 2022. It’s a diagnosis he’s been quietly carrying for years and now, he’s ready to talk about it.
“I can live with it in a sense,” Glover told Holt. “I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing.” That kind of calm, grounded honesty? It’s classic Danny Glover. The man who delivered some of Hollywood’s most memorable performances across more than 170 acting credits! isn’t stepping back. He’s stepping forward.
His daughter, Mandisa, appeared alongside him in the interview and spoke to why now felt like the right time for her father to share his story publicly. “I think it’s really important for him to have control of his own narrative, of his own life story,” Mandisa said. “That’s really important. And the time is now. What better time but now for him to speak for himself?” Honestly? That gave us chills.
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior—and symptoms typically become more severe over time, gradually interfering with daily tasks. Glover joins approximately 7 million Americans over the age of 65 currently living with the condition, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. That’s a staggering number, and it’s a reminder of just how widespread this disease truly is.
There’s also an important layer to Glover’s story that deserves attention. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older Black Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia compared to older white Americans. Researchers have not yet identified the cause of this disparity—but Glover speaking out as a prominent Black public figure could help shine a much-needed spotlight on it.
A four-time Emmy winner, Glover’s career is nothing short of extraordinary. He rose to fame in the 1980s with Lethal Weapon alongside Mel Gibson, and also starred in the deeply moving Places in the Heart (1984) and The Color Purple (1985). Beyond acting, Glover has long channeled his passion for social justice into his work, launching a production company dedicated to developing politically and socially relevant films. “We have challenges in the world,” he said in Wednesday’s interview. “I think art becomes a reframe, a way of looking at that.”
His willingness to share this diagnosis publicly is, in its own way, another act of advocacy—one that may help shift how we talk about, and respond to, Alzheimer’s disease.