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Birthday
Michael J. Fox was born in Alberta, Canada to Bill and Phyllis Fox. He has three younger sisters and one older brother. He mainly grew up in Burnaby, British Columbia, and dreamed of being a hockey player but quit because he was too small ("Michael J. Fox"). He left high school early to move to LA to pursue an acting career, much to the disapproval of his teachers. He did eventually prove them wrong when he landed his break out role on Family Ties (Michael J. Fox). -
Family Ties
Fox started on the cast of family ties in 1982 and played the teenage Alex P. Keaton. During his seven years on the show he also made two of the Back to the Future movies. This show launched him onto the scene as an A-List actor and earned him 3 Emmys and a Golden Globe ("Michael J. Fox Fast Facts"). Shooting both the movies and the shwo at the same time was a challenging task for Fox that kept him busy from in the morning until 4 in the morning the next day at times ("A Lesson In Life"). -
Back to the Future
In 1985 the young Canadian actor was cast in the role Marty McFly in Back to the Future. This was three years after Fox started on Family Ties, and his fame had grown immensely. The movie featured him as a high school student in the 80s who travelled back in time to when his parents met and messed things up. He then had make sure his parents met so he would be born ("Movies / Critics Picks: Critics Picks: Back to the Future"). The movie is still popular, a testament to Fox's acting skills. -
Marriage
Michael J. Fox married Tracy Pollan in 1988 after meeting her on the set of Family Ties. She played his love interest in 1986, and the two got together after she broke up with actor Kevin Bacon. The pair has since had four children: a boy and three girls ("Michael J. Fox"). -
Spin City
The show Spin city aired in 1996 starring Fox as the main character, New York City mayor Michael Flaherty. He announced his debilitating disease two years after starting the show and left the show two years after his announcement when the symptoms became too much for him. -
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Commercial Michael J. Fox first noticed he something was wrong in 1991 when his left finger started to twitch. After having had the disease for seven years, Fox announced his diagnosis to the world. At this point he had decided to go public so that he could bring attention and research oppourtunities to the disease. He dealt with drinking issues for several years after discovering the unfortunate news ("Michael J. Fox"). -
Michael J. Fox Foundation
After being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, Michael J. Fox started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to raise money and awarness of the disease (Mueller). Since then he has acquired 80 employees and over 80% of money they take in goes to research. Some of the things they are researching are repairing the Parkinson's gene and the part of the brain that needs repair (Ellis). The work he putting into this Foundation could possible save lives and will help millions. -
Michael J. Fox Show
Fox's newest adventure the Michael J. Fox Show will feature him as a father with Parkinson's who decides to go back to work because he is unhappy with sitting at home five years after being diagnosed. It is amazing that Fox would start a new show 10 years after his doctor told him he would no longer be able to work (Ellis). This shows a lot about Michael J. Fox's character in that he is willing to use his own struggles to connect with others and help inspire a movement to end the disease.
