Eric Dane is opening up about living with ALS, losing function in one arm, and why he’s staying in the game with his role on Prime Video’s Countdown.
Eric Dane isn’t letting his ALS diagnosis define him. The 52-year-old actor, best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, revealed in April that he is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Since then, he’s been open about the physical toll it has taken — including the loss of function in his right arm — but says he’s taking each day as it comes.
“Today I’m doing great,” Dane told Fox News Digital. “I’m approaching this thing one day at a time, and today’s a good day. So, that’s a win.”
Dane’s condition has progressed to the point where only his left arm remains functional. “My right side has completely stopped working,” he explained. “I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months, and I won’t have my left hand either. It’s sobering.”
Despite these challenges, Dane insists he’s not done. “I’m going to ride this till the wheels fall off,” he told E! News. That determination is on full display in his latest role as Nathan Blythe in the Prime Video crime series Countdown, where he stars alongside Jensen Ackles, who plays LAPD Detective Mark Meachum.
Ackles had nothing but praise for his co-star, saying Dane “killed it every day” on set. Dane credits the work itself with helping him stay mentally and physically strong. “It keeps me sharp,” he said. “It keeps me moving forward, which is super important right now. I feel great when I’m at work.”
Although the physical demands of acting have changed, Dane says his performance process hasn’t. “It’s the same thing in between action and cut,” he shared. “I just kind of, I know my lines, and I hit my mark. And I show up on time.”
Dane opened up about his journey with ALS during an emotional interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, praising the veteran journalist as “a class act and a legend.” He said he couldn’t have imagined anyone better to help him tell his story with the “delicacy and respect” it deserved.
The actor said he first noticed symptoms when his right hand felt weak. “I thought maybe I’d been texting too much and my hand was fatigued,” he recalled. But when it worsened, he sought medical advice, leading to multiple specialists before finally being diagnosed.
One turning point came when Dane met Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, who is now overseeing his care. “I’m very hopeful,” he told Sawyer. “I don’t think this is the end of my story… There was a sense of hope I didn’t get from other doctors that I met with.”
Cudkowicz explained that potential ALS risk factors include environmental exposures like plastics and lake bacteria, as well as physical trauma such as sports injuries.
While many might retreat from the spotlight, Dane is choosing to push forward. Whether it’s with his co-stars from Grey’s Anatomy like Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Oh, or with new collaborators like Ackles, Dane remains focused on the work — and the wins, no matter how small.
“My spirit is always pretty buoyant,” he said. “So, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
