Announcer: From ABC News, around the world and into your home, the stories that touch your life. This is "20/20 Friday" with --
Lead-in -------
Barbara Walters: The great comic talent of Dudley Moore. He made you laugh then. Now he will touch a very different emotion. A rare and incurable illness is slowly conquering his body. For the first time, you'll see his heartbreaking struggle. A master of timing suddenly caught off balance, desperately trying to hold onto his thoughts and his words.
Dudley Moore: Um, um.
Doctor: Gone? Is the thought gone?
DM: Gone.
BW: What is this devastating illness that ended his acting career and his greatest love, his music?
DM: I miss that very much.
BW: A tragic turn in the life of a once-brilliant comic star -- "Dudley Moore."
Announcer: Those stories, tonight, November 19th, 1999.
Barbara Walters: Good evening, and welcome to "20/20 friday." Many of us remember the hilarious Dudley Moore, trying to win the affections of Bo Derek in the movie "10" or playing the perfect drunk in the smash hit, "Arthur." But, in recent years, some people thought he actually was a drunk. Dudley Moore slurred his words, he stumbled, he forgot things, and he had no idea what was happening. This is a heartbreaking story. For the first time, you will see and hear what Dudley Moore's life has become. The man who once made millions of people laugh now touches a very different emotion. He was once a brilliant comic actor and an acclaimed concert pianist. Today, his hands and fingers strain to hit the right notes and keys. Every day, Dudley Moore struggles to get out of bed, to walk, to see and, tragically, to even speak.
BW: Slowly, over the last decade, a rare and incurable brain disease has insidiously taken over his body. Four times divorced, he is cared for by an old friend, pianist Rena Fruchter, and her family. He now lives far from Hollywood, in this modest New Jersey home, close to his doctors and therapy center. Most people remember Dudley Moore because he made us laugh. Especially as the lovable millionaire drunk in the 1981 film, "Arthur." For years, rumors swirled that Dudley Moore had become, like Arthur, a drunk. No one knew that it wasn't booze but his neurological system that made stagger and slur his speech. Until now, he has never talked about his illness nor its effect on his life filled with triumph and torment.
BW to DM: People thought you were Arthur.
BW: They took the character from the movie who was drunk and said, "that's Dudley."
DM: And I mean, it's -- it's amazing that Arthur has invaded my body to the point that I'm -- I have become him. But that's -- that's the way people look at it.
BW: Your mind is intact.
DM: Yes.
BW: So you know very well what is happening to you.
DM: Yes, I know very well what is happening to me. I know particularly what people say and think.
BW: What do you most want people to know?
DM: I want them to know that I'm not intoxicated.
BW: You're not drunk.
DM: No. And i just want them to -- to -- to know that I am going through this disease as well as I can.
BW: Do you feel as if you are a prisoner in your own body?
DM: Yes, I do. I -- I -- I am trapped in this body, and there is nothing I can do about it.
BW: Dudley Moore, in a way, has always been trapped in his body, always faced physical and emotional adversity. He was born 64 years ago in England with a clubfoot. At the time, his mother knew the intense pain he would suffer as he revealed to me in this 1982 interview.
1982 Interview...
DM: She rather charmingly volunteered the information that she wanted to kill me when I was born, but I took it in the spirit in which it was offered.
BW: Because she thought you would be so unhappy?
DM: Because she knew or thought that I was going to be so unhappy. Of course, this influenced the way I felt about myself, so i grew up with a great lack of self-confidence and spent a lot of time in the hospital. I wasn't able to cope with it very well, until I discovered comedy.
end of 1982 interview
BW: He escaped through comedy and music, attending Oxford on an organ scholarship. There he formed the comedy group, "Beyond the Fringe", and went on to enormous success with Peter Cook in both England and here in America, on Broadway. In the early '80s, at age 44, he became an unlikely international movie star and sex symbol when he was cast opposite Bo Derek in the film "10" by director Blake Edwards.
Blake Edwards: He is a consumate actor, his instincts are wonderful. He lives in a state of constant humor.
BW: The film also showed the full range of his talent. Bo Derek remembers the first time Moore played the movie's theme song.
Bo Derek: All of a sudden, Dudley started to play the song. And it was like a new piece of music. It was as though he transformed. And I remember everybody just sat wherever they were standing. They just sat down and watched him play.
BW: Then came his 1981 oscar-nominated success in "Arthur."
Blake Edwards: He's a good actor. There are some people that just know how to play drunks. I make a study of drunks. And his drunk was as good as any i've ever seen.
BW: Dudley moore was on top of the world. He was hot, in demand and on hollywood's A-list. But after "Arthur," with a series of bad film choices, his career spiralled downward. So Moore returned to his first love, music. He began playing in jazz bands, recording classical albums and performing with world-renowned orchestras, here with famous conductor Sir Georg Solti.
Rena Fruchter: I was absolutely blown away the first time I heard him play. I had no idea he was such a wonderful musician.
BW: 17 years ago, as a music columnist for "The New York Times," Rena Fruchter met and wrote about Moore and his music. They have been close friends and collaborators ever since.
RF: I think, first. I think in his soul, he would probably have to agree with this. And everything else, I feel, grew around that.
BW to DM: What does music mean to you?
DM: Music means everything to me. It is -- um, a -- an art that I love to practice.
BW: But he never gave up on acting. In the early '90s, he starred in two television series, one called "Daddy's Girl."
BW: Both series failed and those close to Moore remember that something seemed wrong, especially to his manager of 25 years, Lou Pitt.
BW to Lou Pitt: Dudley was forgetting his lines?
Lou Pitt: It wasn't that he was forgetting them. He was having difficulty grasping them.
BW: What did you think?
Lou Pitt: You know, at first, I thought that it was personal, that it was troubled and he was preoccupied. This is a consummate professional. He would be there, you know, before anybody else. He would know all his lines.
BW: And now, suddenly, he can't remember his lines.
Lou Pitt: Couldn't remember a thing.
BW to DM: Then in 1995, you had a really good role in the Barbra Streisand movie, "The Mirror has Two Faces."
DM: Mm-hmm.
BW: They fired you.
DM: They fired me because I couldn't remember my lines after a certain point.
BW: This must have been devastating for you.
DM: It was devastating.
BW: It was probably Dudley Moore's last chance at a comeback. After the disaster on the Streisand set, it was unlikely that he would ever be hired as an actor again.
RF to BW: He felt like his life was over at that point. He said, "Something is wrong. I don't know what is going on." That was a major blow for him.
BW: To be fired?
RF: Yeah, yeah.
BW: And to know that the career in acting was probably going to be over?
RF: Yeah, well, he said that. He said, "that's the end of my acting career."
BW: In the midst of a deep depression, rumors started to swirl in Hollywood and in the tabloids that his career was over, that Moore was an alcoholic. In public, he was often seen wobbling and slurring words. But his closest friends say they never saw him drink excessively.
Blake Edwards: I was shocked, that wasn't the Dudley I knew. I never thought it's some serious illness, some impairment. I thought, "well, it's because he's having all those personal problems, maybe he's taken up booze, maybe he's gotten involved in drugs."
BW: His personal life was also in shambles. Despite his height and clubfoot, he had always been a ladies' man, attracting tall, beautiful women. Some called him "cuddly Dudley." But his relationships and marriages were often marked by turbulence, especially his last wife, who made headlines after accusing him of a string of abuses, from drugs to assault. Moore denies it all, even the time she had him arrested for allegedly striking her. Though charges were later dropped, it was clear that other unexplainable problems persisted. In 1995 and '96, he was involved in a series of car accidents. In one, he drove off a Colorado road and down a steep slope. His vision and concentration were off, but he refused to see a doctor, insisting it was only age.
BW to DM: What were your first symptoms where you said, "something is wrong"?
DM: I think I didn't say that.
BW: It was in Australia in 1996, while performing with his pianist friend Rena Fruchter, that he began having problems. His acting career in ruins, Moore thought he still had his music. But he began to have trouble playing. His once-fluid sound was now erratic and stumbling.
RF: I didn't know what to think. There was a lot going on. He started having trouble with one finger and things just weren't going exactly the way he wanted them to. We just had no idea.
BW: What did the reviewers say?
RF: The reviewers said everything from, "it was a perfect ten" to, "Moore is less." There were reviews that I didn't even show Dudley. There was one that said, "Dudley drunk on stage?"
BW to DM: What did you think was wrong with you?
DM: I thought it was some illness that I couldn't fathom.
BW: Were you scared?
DM: Yes.
BW: So scared that Fruchter finally convinced him to seek medical help. Doctors in London and New York offered an array of theories, but each turned out to be a dead end. At the Mayo Clinic, doctors discovered a hole in his heart, but surgery didn't fix his increasing struggle to speak and walk. A team of neurologists and a battery of tests followed, but no one could figure out what was wrong. His illness remained a mystery, and his depression became intense.
BW: Did you ever think of committing suicide?
DM: Um, I don't know -- I don't know when -- when it was.
BW: But you remember thinking
DM: Yes.
BW: -- You just wanted to give up and die?
DM: Yes.
BW: But that wasn't going to happen, not as long as he had a friend like Rena and a doctor who would finally tell Dudley Moore what was wrong with him.
Commercial break
BW: In 1994, Dudley Moore, the brilliant comedian and pianist, began to realize that he was losing control of his body. He had trouble talking, playing the piano, even walking. But the big question was, why? It would take four years, one devoted friend and the right medical specialist for Dudley Moore to discover, finally, what he was fighting and what it would take for him to survive. In 1998, as his body continued to inexplicably break down, Dudley Moore was desperate. Finally, his friend, Rena Fruchter, took him to see Dr. Martin Gizzi, a New Jersey neurologist.
Martin Gizzi: On Dudley's first visit, he was rather depressed about not being able to obtain a diagnosis. His major concern was being able to play the piano, though. And he wanted anything that would help him with that.
RF: He took one look and said... he checked the eye movements, and one of the symptoms is slow, vertical eye movements. And he said, "I think it's PSP."
BW: Moore finally had his diagnosis, but the news wasn't good. PSP, or progressive supranuclear palsy, is an extremely rare and hard to detect neurological disorder. The cause is unknown, but an estimated 20,000 Americans suffer from this incurable and debilitating brain disease. It is sometimes compared to Parkinson's, but without the characteristic tremors.
Martin Gizzi: The classic symptoms of psp include balance difficulty, rigidity of the limbs, slowness of movement and loss of coordination of eye movements. Depression becomes quite common in later years. Additional symptoms include memory difficulties, slurring of speech and difficulty swallowing.
BW: For now, there are no drugs to cure the disease or stop its relentlessly progressive course. PSP is not fatal, but complications, like pneumonia or choking, could suddenly end Moore's life.
RF: From what I understand, there is a coughing, choking and swallowing problem with this disease. And people ultimately can die from pneumonia from having this.
BW: How do you feel when you hear this?
DM: I don't like it. I don't like it. The thought of choking to death must be awful. I don't find it very comforting.
BW: Moore said he went public with his disease in order to reach out to other victims of PSP. He gave us extraordinary access to his new life, which includes weekly rehabilitation at the world famous Kessler Institute.
Thomas Galski: Our goal is to maintain the quality of life as long as we can, as well as we can.
BW: Dr. Thomas Galski is in charge of Moore's treatment, including their weekly psychotherapy.
Dr. Galski to DM: Tell me what the mood's like.
DM: The mood is fine.
Dr. Galski: His body has, in a sense, betrayed him. The difficulty of having a humorous, quick, witty conversation with someone and being at a loss because you can't process that information as quickly as you've done in the past. It's extremely exasperating in those very little ways.
DM: Yes, it is different than I used to speak. Um --
Dr. Galski: gone? Is the thought gone?
DM: Gone, gone.
BW: Moore also meets with a speech therapist who helps him with his breathing, to relax, to speak simple words.
DM to therapist: 7, 8, 9, 10.
Therapist: Excellent!
BW: And simple phrases.
DM practicing speech: We are the hero of our own story.
Terapist: Beautiful.
BW: By the time he's finished, Moore is physically drained and mentally exhausted. But now, in the early stages of the disease, Moore's doctors want him to stay active. Even though he can no longer play, he lends his support to "Music for all Seasons, a group that brings music to confined people in nursing homes, prisons and, on this day, a hospital.
Patient to DM: Mr. Moore, I'm not Bo Derek, but I love you just as well.
DM: that's nice.
BW: But going out in public can be treacherous. The disease affects coordination and balance, and Moore often falls, sometimes two or three times a day.
BW: But you never know when it's going to happen?
DM: No.
RF: Just for Dudley to keep going, it's a struggle. He's courageous.
BW: In some ways, this is Rena Fruchter's story, too. At great personal sacrifice, she has devoted herself to Moore and is always by his side.
BW to RF: Dudley is so much a part of your life. You have to take care of him. You are with him around the clock. You are married. You have children. You have grandchildren.
RF: Mm-hmm.
BW: Are you a saint?
RF: Hardly.
BW: Is she a saint, Dudley?
DM: Yes.
BW: She is?
DM: She is a saint.
BW: Certified saint?
DM: She is a saint. Certifiable.
DM: Yes. She has endless compassion for me. And, I just feel that she is extraordinary in that way.
BW: Dudley, if it were not for Rena, is there anyone else to take care of you?
DM: I don't think so. I mean, I -- I can't imagine somebody taking over that role.
BW: There is no one else in your life?
DM: No, no.
BW: You have two sons.
BW Patrick is 23. And then there is a little boy of 4. But you don't see your children.
DM: No.
BW: Why not?
DM: Because I don't want to deteriorate before them.
BW: You don't want them to see you like this?
DM: No.
BW: Don't you think they might want to see you?
DM: I suppose so.
BW: Most of your life, you have had to overcome severe problems. Now this. Are you bitter? Do you feel cheated?
DM: I feel -- no, I don't feel cheated. I feel as though it was good that I did my shows before this happened. And I got "Arthur" out and "10" out.
BW: Always loved you in those roles.
DM: Yes.
BW: And remember you in those roles.
DM: Yes, hope so.
RF: That's so sad that it could have affected his work, and that it was coming on and nobody knew. I think that's tragic.
Blake Edwards: It just hurt me deeply that that kind of person would have his mind attacked. His greatest challenge will be bravely facing it, whatever that means. Finally coming to some kind of terms with it.
BW to DM: What is your prognosis?
DM: I think that I'm going to die. I don't know. I don't think that it's going to be pleasant.
BW: What do you miss most?
DM: What I miss most? Playing the piano. I -- I love it and enjoy it and I miss it very much.
BW: Dudley Moore wanted to tell his story even though it is painful, not just to say he is ill, not intoxicated, but also because some people may suffer for years with PSP without knowing what's wrong, for we don't know what causes this disease. We can only hope that Dudley Moore's story will help them and that, one day, research will find a cure or, at least, slow the progress of PSP.
BW: Dudley has great courage.