Danny Glover Shares His Strongest Memories amid Alzheimer's Disease: His Late Mom, Mandela's Release, Oprah's 'Power' (Exclusive)

Janine RubensteinThu, July 2, 2026 at 2:21 PM UTC

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Danny Glover photographed for PEOPLECredit: John Russo -

Danny Glover opens up for the first time in this week's issue about his Alzheimer's disease diagnosis

The award-winning actor and activist, 79, shares enduring memories of his family and storied career, onscreen and off

"He was in his own pain," Glover reflects on how he approached the complicated character of Mister in The Color Purple

For Danny Glover, it's the memories that stay with him.

"There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff," the Lethal Weapon and The Color Purple star tells PEOPLE in this week's issue, opening up for the first time about being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "And there are moments I’ll never forget.”

During his PEOPLE interview a number of those lasting memories come to the surface. None was more prevalent than the ones shared of his late mother Carrie.

"My girl, man," Glover, 79, says of the matriarch, who was killed in a car accident the same day he found out he’d won a career-changing role in the 1984 drama Places in the Heart. "We argued like girlfriend and boyfriend.”

Danny Glover His Mother Carrie His brother Reggie His sister ConnieCredit: Courtesy of Carrie Productions

He continues, “Guess what my mother wanted to be? An actress,” he says. He goes on to tell the story of when she first realized his talent after a theater performance. “She says, ‘Son, the people said you can act,’ ” he recalls with a chuckle.

Another memory of his mother that still brings Glover joy is one he didn't witness himself: the story of how she first met his father, James. The two would go on to marry, become postal workers and dedicate themselves to the civil rights movement as active members of the NAACP in San Francisco, where they raised their five children. But before all that, Glover says, their romance began by pure chance.

"My dad and mom met at an event," he says of the time his father had gone out with a friend to a political gathering where they saw two young women walk into the room. "His friend said, 'I'll take the short one.' And that's all right. My dad said, 'I want the tall one.' My dad was so short, but man, that was the most beautiful cat I ever seen in my life. The tall one was my mom. I'm so glad that Jimmy took the tall one."

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Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover in 'Beloved'Credit: Alamy

When it comes to the height of his career, Glover’s power of recollection is uneven. Working with Mel Gibson on Lethal Weapon “was great,” he says. He talks about the leverage it took for Oprah Winfrey to get their 1998 historical drama Beloved made: “She had the power.”

With his films, “I’ve had the opportunity to talk about how I see the world and what relationship I played in the world. I began acting because I was a citizen. Acting is what gave me a voice.”

Danny Glover as Nelson Mandela and Alfre Woodard as Winnie Mandela in 1987's 'Mandela'Credit: Everett

His life as an activist draws out some of his sharpest memories. “I remember when Man­dela got out of prison, and we were walking,” he recalls of the late South African anti-apartheid leader and president, whom he supported and played in a 1987 TV movie. “[Mandela’s wife] Winnie came up, and Mandela said, ‘Winnie, there’s your other husband.’ It was funny.”

Longtime friends like actor Delroy Lindo appear in his memories too. Lindo says they share a lifelong “kinship” that began “from virtually my initial introduction to him. I think this is true basically due to Danny’s ability to genuinely connect in very authentic way."

Danny Glover in 'The Color Purple'Credit: Warner Brothers/Getty Images

Glover seems particularly reflective about one role. Asked about his portrayal of Mister, the abusive husband of Whoopi Goldberg’s character in The Color Purple, Glover notes, “He was in his own pain too as well. Part of the outcome of that was his own healing. In those kind of relationships, people have an opportunity to resolve their own internal contradiction.”

To Glover’s brother Marty, who lives with him and is helping with his care, it’s the role that was farthest from reality. “Everybody thinks he’s Mister,” Marty says of fans equating Glover to the complicated villain. But “he’s the greatest guy I ever met in my life."

For more on Danny Glover's iconic career and life with Alzheimer's disease, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, available now.

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