Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox (born June 9, 1961, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian American actor and activist who rose to fame in the 1980s for his comedic roles and who later became involved in Parkinson disease research after being diagnosed with the disorder. His notable credits included the TV show Family Ties (1982–89) and the Back to the Future movie series.

Fox grew up on Canadian military bases and moved to Los Angeles at age 18. He won three Emmy Awards (1986–88) for his role as Alex P. Keaton on the popular television series Family Ties (1982–89), where he worked with Tracy Pollan, his future wife. He later starred in the series Spin City (1996–2002), winning an Emmy in 2000, his last year on the show. Fox also appeared in feature films, notably portraying Marty McFly in the hit comedy Back to the Future (1985) and its sequels (1989 and 1990).

His other movie credits include Casualties of War (1989), The American President (1995), and Mars Attacks! (1996). In addition, he provided the voice of Stuart Little in a series of animated films based on characters from E.B. White’s children’s book.

In 1991 Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson disease, and he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000. He subsequently limited his acting to focus on the illness. However, he made guest appearances on several TV series, including Boston Legal; Rescue Me, for which he received an Emmy in 2009; The Good Wife; and Designated Survivor. He briefly starred in The Michael J. Fox Show (2013–14), a comedy in which he played a news anchor with Parkinson disease.

Fox wrote the memoirs Lucky Man (2002), Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (2009), and No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality (2020). Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023) is a documentary about his life and career. In 2000 he became a U.S. citizen. Fox was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. Pres. Joe Biden in 2025.