Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox
OC
Fox in 2020
Born
Michael Andrew Fox

(1961-06-09) June 9, 1961 (age 63)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United States (from 2000)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • activist
  • television producer
Years active1978-2020 (Actor) 2000-present (activist)[a]
Spouse
​
(m. 1988)​
Children4
Websitemichaeljfox.org
Signature

Michael Andrew Fox OC (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American activist and retired actor. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989) and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990). Fox went on to star in films such as Teen Wolf (1985), The Secret of My Success (1987), Casualties of War (1989), Doc Hollywood (1991), and The Frighteners (1996). He returned to television on the ABC sitcom Spin City in the lead role of Mike Flaherty (1996–2000).

In 1998, Fox disclosed his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He subsequently became an advocate for finding a cure, and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms forced him to reduce his acting work.

Fox voiced the lead roles in the Stuart Little films (1999–2005) and the animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). He continued to make guest appearances on television, including comedy-drama Rescue Me (2009), the legal drama The Good Wife (2010–2016) and spin-off The Good Fight (2020), and the comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2011, 2017). Fox's last major role was the lead on the short-lived sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show (2013–2014). He officially retired in 2020 due to his declining health.[1]

Fox has won five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, and was inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. For his advocacy of a cure for Parkinson's disease, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2022.[2]


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  1. ^ Perez, Lexy (November 17, 2020). "Michael J. Fox Details Entering a "Second Retirement," Health Struggles in New Memoir". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Richwine, Lisa (November 20, 2022). "Actor Michael J. Fox accepts honorary Oscar for Parkinson's advocacy". Reuters. Retrieved May 14, 2023.