Every Australian knows the words to the theme song for Round the Twist, but the shows goofy clueless dad played by Richard Moir had a secret.
WATCH: Round the Twist theme song. Article continues after the video.
Round the Twist was the iconic Australian children’s comedy series which followed the supernational adventures of the Twist family. From ghosts, a green baby to cloning – it was the television series that truly covered it all.
Airing from 1990 to 2001, Round the Twist was the home for children’s comedy.
But sadly, after 26 episodes Richard who played Tony Twist had to leave the television series to be replaced by Andrew Gilbert for the later seasons. But why?
In 1992, Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder which causes unintended or uncontrollable movements.
While filming Round the Twist, Richard experienced trouble speaking and was unable to speak his lines on que, also, his left arm would freeze to which he somehow managed to hide.
The diagnosis led to the early demise of his career as he completely stepped away from the screen by 1997.
That was until nearly ten years later in 2006 when he documented the process of an experimental operation where the deep brain was stimulated using electrodes placed in the brain.
The film, The Bridge At Midnight Trembles – title inspired by Bob Dylan – helped Richard cope with the emotional weight of the life-changing operation.
“I was able to play an actor playing the role of an actor who is having an operation,” he said in 2006.
In 2022, he then starred in a short film Not Dark Yet, playing a man deteriorating from Parkinson’s disease. It discussed the heartbreaking dilemma of a young son being held back by taking on the role of the caretaker.
