Martin Scorsese 'Now a Full-Time Carer' For Parkinson's-Addled Wife — Who Is 'Crippled and Has Almost Lost All Power of Speech'

Martin Scorsese has become what friends describe as a "near full-time carer" for his wife, Helen Morris, whose long battle with Parkinson's disease has left her largely immobile and barely able to speak.

The 82-year-old director's private life comes into unexpected focus in the new five-part Apple TV documentary Mr. Scorsese, directed by Rebecca Miller. It traces his filmmaking arc from the streets of Little Italy to his Oscar-winning career, but it also shows a quieter truth – as Scorsese's public profile flourishes, his home life has closed in.

Morris, 78, appears only briefly in the documentary, yet her presence looms large over it, underscoring the heavy responsibility her devoted filmmaking icon husband now carries.

Scorsese married Morris in 1999, years after she was diagnosed with her degenerative illness, and they share daughter Francesca, 25.

He also has two older daughters – Cathy, 59, and Domenica, 49 – from previous marriages.

Sources close to the family now say the director's days now revolve around his wife's extensive care needs. One longtime family friend said: "You discover that love becomes something entirely different when you're needed every hour of the day – Martin is with Helen constantly. It's not devotion in the romanticized sense – it's a job caring for her, and he does it because she can't do anything alone anymore, and because he loves her, even though she is now basically crippled and incapable of speech."

Their daughter Francesca has spoken openly on social media about Helen's declining health. In a recent TikTok video, she helped her mother eat and drink as Helen kept her head down.

Though the clip is not referenced in the documentary, it aligns with the reality briefly shown in the film – a world where the filmmaker's creative volatility has been replaced by domestic duty.

Fans responding to Francesca's posts often echo the emotional weight of the situation.

One commenter wrote: "You're showing what real family looks like."

Another added: "Many of us are caring for parents now – you're not alone."

Martin himself has previously addressed Helen's condition. He said last year: "She's had Parkinson's disease for about 30 years now… My complaining is part of my creating and it's usually self-deprecating. Make it funny. Doesn't mean it ain't serious, but it is funny at the same time. My complaining, I find, is nothing compared to what the suffering that a condition like that does, and so we live with it and it changes how you perceive life and everything around you."

Mr. Scorsese also explores Martin's earlier life – including his rampant drug addiction in the 1970s, four divorces and the professional storms surrounding films such as Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ.

But those turbulent years contrast starkly with the subdued world he now inhabits. While he was work-obsessed during his daughters' youths, he is now a constant presence at home and regularly films humorous TikTok videos with his budding filmmaker girl Francesca.

A source said: "After decades spent interrogating guilt, violence and human frailty on screen, Martin is now confronting them quietly in his living room – not through characters, but through the woman he has cared for, increasingly, around the clock."

Rising from New York's Little Italy, Martin built a career on gritty, emotional storytelling in films from Taxi Driver and Goodfellas to Raging Bull and The Departed. His box office record mixes prestige with commercial success. While some films earned modest returns, major hits such as The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street and Killers of the Flower Moon delivered strong global grosses.