Michael York, the enduring actor whose film credits include Cabaret, The Three Musketeers, and Logan’s Run, is settling into his next act two-thousand miles away from Hollywood.

Earlier this year, York and his wife of 54 years, Pat, listed their longtime home in Los Angeles and set their sights on southern Minnesota. After years of traveling here for care at Mayo Clinic, the couple had decided it was time to permanently relocate to Rochester — and be closer to the institution that York credits for saving his life.

The Yorks’ connection to the city goes back to 2012 when Pat was put in touch with retired Mayo physician Dr. Robert Kyle, an international expert in hematology. Pat informed Dr. Kyle of Michael’s symptoms, including dark rings around his eyes, and that Michael had been receiving treatment for multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer.

But Dr. Kyle had another thought: He believed York may be suffering from a rare blood disease known as amyloidosis, and encouraged him to travel to Rochester.

Once here, Dr. Kyle’s hypothesis was confirmed: York had been misdiagnosed. A year later, York underwent his first successful stem-cell transplant at Mayo.

Pat’s first photograph of Michael for Glamour magazine in 1967 / © Pat York

"I got my life back,” he said. “What may have been an everyday experience for them, seemed little short of miraculous to Pat and myself, and our gratitude was boundless.”¹

But even as the treatment proved effective, traveling to Mayo for regular check-ups became tiresome. As York tells it, after more than five decades in Hollywood, “it was about time to move on.” The Yorks sold their home and most of their possessions and moved to the Med City, in an apartment close to the Clinic. Now, after years of fame and travel, the Yorks say they feel settled and focused — and are eager to get to know their newly-adopted home.

"High on my to-do list is to get to know the city, and the state; you know, take a cruise on the Mississippi or on the Great Lakes,” said York.

He added, "LA was getting very crowded, and busy, and smoggy. Everyone remarked, 'It's not the same city it was'; whereas I think Rochester is all about the future. It's a great can-do place."

Born in Fulmer, England, York went on to get an English degree from Oxford University before landing his film debut as Lucentio in Franco Zeffirelli’s The Taming of the Shrew in 1967.

His big break came a year later when he was cast as Tybalt in Zeffirelli’s next film, Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespeare adaptation, the first of its kind to feature teenagers, was not only a hit then — but to this day, many critics consider it to be the best Romeo and Juliet ever made.

The prominent role proved to be just the start of a long and celebrated career that has included credits in more than 160 film, theater, and television productions, including Something for Everyone, Cabaret, The Three Musketeers, Logan’s Run, Jesus of Nazareth, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the Austin Powers trilogy, which had York starring as Austin’s handler, Basil Exposition.

The role in the Austin Powers franchise introduced York to a whole new generation, much to the surprise of the Shakespearan actor. Not only did York never expect the low-budget film to become the international phenomenon it did, his agent wasn’t even sure that he should take the role in the first place. But York, up for a new challenge, took a leap of faith.

Michael York in *Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery* (1997)

“There was something in it that appealed to me,” he said. "And I will certainly never regret doing it, because it started out with a great script. If you film that, you would be well on your way. But what Mike (Myers) encouraged was improvisation. If you came up with a better line, we would often go with it, which is of course a great source of pleasure — when you can contribute something creative to the (film).

"But who knew. That's the whole mystery of movie-making. I have been in great studio productions that don't work, or only work at a certain level. And then I have been in little films like Austin Powers that really explode with creativity and success."

Speaking to us from his new home in Rochester, York said he looks forward to a post-Covid future of exploring more of the area and even holding screenings of some his favorite films, including lesser-known projects like 1979’s The Riddle of the Sands.

In the meantime, York, 80, continues to seek regular medical care, while taking time to enjoy some of the fitness classes offered at the Charter House. And as he has for decades, he spends most of his days in the company of Pat, an accomplished photographer in her own right, who he described as “an extraordinary woman … every day is a fascination to love her.”

As one of the best known people in the world with amyloidosis, York also uses his platform to raise awareness about the condition — of which there are about 4,000 new cases a year in the U.S. — and provide financial support for patients. While there is no cure for the amyloidosis, research suggests that early detection can save lives and improve the patient’s quality of life.

"Amyloidosis was an illness masquerading in many different forms, and often undetected, especially in the cardiac regions,” said York. “Now that’s beginning to change.”

For more information about amyloidosis awareness and support, visit the Amyloidois Foundation website, www.amyloidosis.org.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover photo: Michael and Pat during a photo exhibition of Pat’s work in West Hollywood / Submitted

¹Excerpt from York’s 2018 memoir, The Readiness Is All