Michael Andrew Fox OC, professionally known as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American actor who began his acting career in the 1970s. He first gained prominence in 1982 when he portrayed Alex P. Keaton on NBC’s sitcom Family Ties.
The actor is known for his iconic role in the 1985 movie, Back to the Future. The science fiction movie was released in 1985 and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson.
The story revolved around a teenager, Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) who accidentally traveled back in time to 1955 through a time-traveling automobile.
His other notable projects include Teen Wolf, Spin City, Doc Hollywood, Casualties of War, The Frighteners, and The Secret of My Success.
In 1991, at the mere age of twenty-nine, the Canadian-born actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
According to Daily Mail, “Since his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, he’s spent much of his career campaigning for better research and raising awareness on the progressive degenerative illness.”
“The Teen Wolf star, now a father-of-four, was diagnosed in 1991 aged just 29 and made the diagnosis public seven years later in 1998. He has spent half of his life funding research and spreading awareness about the condition, which affects the brain and motor functions, damaging them over time.”
“He noticed the first troubling muscle tremor at the height of his career while filming ‘Doc Hollywood’ in Florida,” CBS News reported.
In 2000 the Family Ties actor set up the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, as the New York Times quoted, is “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world.”
Ever since his diagnosis, the actor not only became determined to find the cure for his disease but also helped many of his fellow actors in their difficult times.
In 2019, American actress Selma Blair revealed that after her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, she reached out to Fox for support, and he helped her a lot.
“I said, ‘I don’t know who to tell, but I am dropping things. I’m doing strange things. He got in touch with me and we began conversations,” she said in an interview with Good Morning America. “He really helped me… he gives me hope.”
In October 2021, Fox appeared in an interview with Variety and opened up about his struggle to find the cure for Parkinson’s.
“I enjoy life more. I’m more comfortable in my skin than I was 20 years ago. I can sit down and be calm. I couldn’t do that 25 years ago. That’s the medications, the drug cocktails, and therapies that we’ve been a part of.”
The 61-year-old further said that his foundation raised more than $1 billion, which has been used to study the disease and its cure.
He further said that although the cure is still not in hand, he’s set up his mind on finding one.
“I’m committed to this. I won’t stop until it happens,” he said.
In another interview with The Guardian, Michael Fox said that although he was hell-bent on finding the cure for his disease, he didn’t know if his condition would worsen over time.
“When you’re first diagnosed, what you’re presenting is relatively minor. I had a twitching pinky and a sore shoulder. They said, ‘You won’t be able to work in a few years,’ and I’m thinking, ‘From this?'”
“As limited as I am in some regards, if you’d told me when I was diagnosed that I’d have this life now and do the things that I do, I’d have said, ‘I’ll take it.’ I can move around – it takes some planning, but I can move. I can think, I can communicate, and I can express affection.
“What else do you want?” he added.
What are your thoughts on Michael J. Fox’s struggle story? Let us know your views in the comments.
Sources: Daily Mail – CBS News – Good Morning America – Variety – The Guardian
My husband has Parkinson’s disease and each day is different from the day before, he is on medication but sometimes I feel his better off them so people can see the real man behind the diagnosis of Parkinson’s if this makes sense?.
I wish my husband could meet Michael as I know it’s been his long time dream even before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but now they have something in common maybe Michael could tell him some of his experiences & vice a versa.
We live in Australia & are on a pension as we have no money to travel, so if anyone could show this to Michael it would be greatly appreciated & hopefully not fall in the hands of scammers