Kenny Rogers' eye condition

Years ago, someone told me that the reason Kenny Rogers grew his beard out was to camouflage the fact that he has nystagmus (eyes that involuntarily and rapidly move back and forth). People focus on his beard and moustache instead of his eyes.

I've never found anything to support this and figured it was a myth until I saw a re-run of Hee-Haw over the weekend and he was on it.
I watched him closely and in some shots it really looked like his eyes were jumping back and forth. It didn't seem constant, though.

Anybody else ever hear this?

[Morrigan]

As far as I've been able to find, he does have nystagmus. Apparently, he wore dark glasses at his concerts to hide that fact.

http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/c..._article.shtml

http://www.nystagmusnet.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1127

http://www.nystagmus.org/discus/mess...ay1020040210pm

Not sure how accurate that info is, though.

Morrigan

[NeeCD]

I thought this thread was going to be about how strange his eyes look now. Is that a bad thing?

[snapdragonfly]

*hijack*

Just how dismal of a television schedule was it that day that you had to watch old Hee Haw reruns?? I watched that show when I was a kid - I'm not sure if I hate it or like it!

Originally Posted by snapdragonfly

*hijack*

Just how dismal of a television schedule was it that day that you had to watch old Hee Haw reruns?? I watched that show when I was a kid - I'm not sure if I hate it or like it!

Oh it was dismal. Truly. Makes me a little nostalgic, though, becuase my grandparents used to love Hee-Haw. I could only watch the one episode, though!



Thanks for the replies everybody~~I'll sleep better tonight knowing the answer to my question : )

[NayShel]

I can't say much about Kenny Rogers but I have nystagmus caused by mild albinism in my left eye and can at least speak to the fact that it can be...well, I'm not sure if embarrassing is the right word but it can make one a bit self conscious. When your eye's moving around, it's kind of hard to talk to someone face to face because eye contact isn't fully possible. Think of it like talking to someone with a lazy eye, people just can't help but notice that both eyes aren't moving together.

He must have a worse case than I do though - at least from what people have told me, mine's not noticable unless I'm tired or intoxicated.

[smittykins]

Originally Posted by turtlechick

Oh it was dismal. Truly. Makes me a little nostalgic, though, becuase my grandparents used to love Hee-Haw. I could only watch the one episode, though!

*continued hijack*

I saw that episode too, and as a result, I had "Lucille" stuck in my head for the next three days...

[Randa Roo]

Originally Posted by snapdragonfly

*hijack*

Just how dismal of a television schedule was it that day that you had to watch old Hee Haw reruns?? I watched that show when I was a kid - I'm not sure if I hate it or like it!

Hey now! The TV schedule is not dismal, and I have Hee Haw on right now. Ray Charles is on it! HHHEEEE HHAAAW! It rules. Nuff said. (They had a Hee Haw marathon on a few weeks ago. And Dukes of Hazzard. I was in TV heaven! Sad, isn't it?)

[lynnejanet]

Originally Posted by NeeCD

I thought this thread was going to be about how strange his eyes look now. Is that a bad thing?

No! I thought so too. He has had some bad plastic surgery! I have a vague memory of seeing an interview with him and his very-much-younger wife, where he acknowledged that he had had a botched plastic surgery, and was planning to have it fixed.

I didn't realize that he has nystagmus. In the movie The Legend of 1900, the actor Pruitt Taylor Vince seemed to have the condition, but his IMDB bio says it's part of his acting "style". I'm not so sure, but, regardless, his eye movement made for a fascinating and convincing performance.

[wanderwoman]

Originally Posted by lynnejanet

In the movie The Legend of 1900, the actor Pruitt Taylor Vince seemed to have the condition, but his IMDB bio says it's part of his acting "style". I'm not so sure, but, regardless, his eye movement made for a fascinating and convincing performance.

Later down the page in his IMDB bio, it says he does have nystagmus. Under Trivia:

Has nystagmus, a condition which causes a person's eyes to move involuntarily.

I checked because I've noticed the eye movement in every role I've seen him in, even when it doesn't seem to have much to do with the character.

He is an excellent and very interesting actor.

[Stoneage Dinosaur]

Flute player James Galway has the same condition (the rapid eye motion is very noticable when you first see it). Probably coincidentally, he also has a beard.