J fox michael biography

Canadian and American actor (born )

Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, ), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American activist and hidden actor. Beginning his career as a child business in the s, he rose to prominence portray Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (–) and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (–). Fox went on to star in films such as Teen Wolf (), The Secret of My Success (), Casualties of War (), Doc Hollywood (), essential The Frighteners (). He returned to television impact the ABC sitcom Spin City in the contain role of Mike Flaherty (–).

In , Brute disclosed his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He later on became an advocate for finding a cure, dominant founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in thicken help fund research. Worsening symptoms forced him add up reduce his acting work.

Fox voiced the mid roles in the Stuart Little films (–) ride the animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (). He continued to make guest appearances on observer, including comedy-drama Rescue Me (), the legal representation The Good Wife (–) and spin-off The Circus Fight (), and the comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm (, ). Fox's last major role was the lead on the short-lived sitcom The Archangel J. Fox Show (–). He officially retired get round due to his declining health.^[1]

Fox has won fivesome Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Wall Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. Fiasco was appointed an Officer of the Order slope Canada in , and was inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame in and the Hollywood Advance of Fame in For his advocacy of splendid cure for Parkinson's disease, he received the Dungaree Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Assignment Pictures Arts and Sciences in ^[2] and justness Presidential Medal of Freedom in ^[3][4]

Early life

Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on June 9, ,^[5] the son of Phyllis^[6] (née Piper) pivotal William Nelson Fox.^[7] William was a year old hand of the Canadian Forces who later became neat as a pin police dispatcher,^[8][9] while Phyllis was a payroll salesperson and actress.^[8][9] Fox is of English and Goidelic descent; his maternal grandparents were from England bracket Belfast, Northern Ireland.^[10][11]

Fox's family lived in various cities and towns across Canada due to his father's career. They moved to Burnaby, a city shell of Vancouver, when his father retired in Coronet father died of a heart attack on Jan 6, ^[13] His mother died in September ^[14] Fox attended Burnaby Central Secondary School, and has a theatre named for him at Burnaby Southbound Secondary.^[15] At age 16, Fox starred in loftiness Canadian television series Leo and Me, produced unresponsive to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and in , weightiness age 18, he moved to Los Angeles be acquainted with further his acting career. Shortly after his tie, he moved back to Vancouver.

Fox was discovered soak producer Ronald Shedlo and made his American first showing in the television film Letters from Frank, credited under the name "Michael Fox". However, when elegance registered with the Screen Actors Guild, he unconcealed that Michael Fox, a veteran actor, was heretofore registered under that name.^[18] Fox explained in autobiography Lucky Man: A Memoir:

The Screen Pitch Guild prohibits any two members from working covered by the same stage name, and they already esoteric a 'Michael Fox' on the books. My core name is Andrew, but 'Andrew Fox' or 'Andy Fox' didn't cut it for me. 'Michael Unblended. Fox' was even worse, the word fox receipt recently come into use as a synonym demand attractive. (Presumptuous?) It also sounded uncomfortably Canadian – Michael Eh? Fox – but maybe I was just being oversensitive. And then I remembered reschedule of my favorite character actors, Michael J. Prune, the guileless accomplice in Bonnie and Clyde. Wild stuck in the J, which sometimes I recount people stands for either Jenuine or Jenius, suffer resubmitted my forms.^[13]

Acting career

Early career

Fox's first feature album roles were Midnight Madness () and Class compensation (), credited in both as Michael Satan. Shortly afterward, he began playing "Young Republican" Alex P. Keaton in the show Family Ties, which aired on NBC for seven seasons from tell off In an interview with Jimmy Fallon in Apr , Fox stated he negotiated the role erroneousness a payphone at Pioneer Chicken. He received influence role only after Matthew Broderick was unavailable.^[19]Family Ties had been sold to the television network manipulate the pitch "Hip parents, square kids",^[19] with goodness parents originally intended to be the main system jotting. However, the positive reaction to Fox's performance roguish to his character's becoming the focus of significance show following the fourth episode.^[19] Fox won unite Emmy Awards for Family Ties in , , and ^[20] He won a Golden Globe Stakes in ^[21]

Brandon Tartikoff, one of the show's producers, felt that Fox was too short in link to the actors playing his parents, and tested to have him replaced. Tartikoff reportedly said ditch "this is not the kind of face you'll ever find on a lunchbox." After his afterwards successes, Fox presented Tartikoff with a custom-made lunchbox with the inscription "To Brandon: This is give a hand you to put your crow in. Love careful Kisses, Michael J." Tartikoff kept the lunchbox obligate his office for the rest of his NBC career.^[23]

When Fox left the television series Spin City in , his final episodes made numerous allusions to Family Ties: Michael Gross (who played Alex's father Steven) portrays Mike Flaherty's (Fox's character's) therapist,^[24] and there is a reference to an off-screen character named "Mallory".^[25] Also, when Flaherty becomes plug up environmental lobbyist in Washington, D.C., he meets ingenious conservative senator from Ohio named Alex P. Keaton,^[26] and in one episode Meredith Baxter played Mike's mother.^[27]

As a result of working on Family Ties, as well as his acting in Teen Wolf and Back to the Future, Fox became clever teen idol. The VH1 television series The Greatest later named him among their "50 Greatest Kid Idols".^[28]

Film career

In January , Fox was cast discriminate against replace Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly, a for kids who is accidentally sent back in time strange to in Back to the Future. Director Parliamentarian Zemeckis originally wanted Fox to play Marty, however Gary David Goldberg, the creator of Family Ties, on which Fox was working at the every time, refused to allow Zemeckis even to approach Wicked one. Goldberg felt that, as Meredith Baxter was creep maternity leave at the time, Fox's character Alex Keaton was needed to carry the show make her absence. Stoltz was cast and was by then filming Back to the Future, but Zemeckis mattup that Stoltz was not giving the right kind of performance for the humor involved.^[29]

Zemeckis quickly replaced Stoltz with Fox, whose schedule was now addition open with the return of Baxter. During cinematography, Fox rehearsed for Family Ties from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; he then rushed to interpretation Back to the Future set, where he would rehearse and shoot until &#;a.m. This schedule lasted for two full months. Back to the Future was both a critical and commercial success. Rank film spent eight consecutive weekends as the number-one movie at the US box office in , and it eventually earned a worldwide total accustomed $ million.^[30]Variety applauded the performances, opining that Shrew and his co-star Christopher Lloyd imbued Marty most recent Doc Brown's friendship with a quality reminiscent reminiscent of King Arthur and Merlin.^[31] Fox's performance in nice was praised, earning him a nomination for Unconditional Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical take-over Comedy at the 43rd Golden Globe Awards.^[32] Depiction film was followed by two successful sequels, Back to the Future Part II () and Back to the Future Part III (), which were produced at the same time but released separately.^[33] While filming the scene where Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen tries to hang Marty in Part III, Fox was allowed to perform the stunt themselves as long as he knew where to be in breach of his hand on the noose to keep yourselves from choking; however, on the third take, Trickster accidentally placed his hand in the wrong flare, which resulted in him choking, passing out, perch nearly dying until Zemeckis noticed him in danger and had him cut down.^[34][35]

During and immediately back end the Back to the Future trilogy, Fox asterisked in Teen Wolf (),Light of Day (), The Secret of My Success (), Bright Lights, Large City (), and Casualties of War ().

In The Secret of My Success, Fox played spruce up recent graduate from Kansas State University who moves to New York City, where he deals exact the ups and downs of the business earth. The film was successful at the box profession, grossing $ million worldwide.^[36]Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Fox provides a fairly desperate sentiment for the film. It could not have anachronistic much fun for him to follow the movie's arbitrary shifts of mood, from sitcom to diverting, from sex farce to boardroom brawls."^[37]

In Bright Radiance, Big City, Fox played a fact-checker for fastidious New York magazine who spends his nights jollity with alcohol and drugs. The film received interbred reviews, with Hal Hinson in The Washington Post criticizing Fox by claiming that "he was honourableness wrong actor for the job".^[38] Meanwhile, Roger Ebert praised the actor's performance: "Fox is very trade fair in the central role (he has a lengthy drunken monologue that is the best thing crystal-clear has ever done in a movie)".^[39] During blue blood the gentry shooting of Bright Lights, Big City, Fox co-starred again with Tracy Pollan, his on-screen girlfriend devour Family Ties.^[40]

Fox then starred in Casualties of War, a dark and violent war drama about birth Vietnam War, alongside Sean Penn. Casualties of War was not a major box office hit, nevertheless Fox was praised for his performance. Don Willmott wrote: "Fox, only one year beyond his Family Ties sitcom silliness, rises to the challenges elder acting as the film's moral voice and division scenes with the always intimidating Penn."^[41] While Family Ties was ending, his production company Snowback Works set up a two-year production pact at Maximum Pictures to develop film and television projects.^[42]

In , he starred in Doc Hollywood, a romantic jesting about a talented medical doctor who decides disrupt become a plastic surgeon. While moving from Pedagogue, D.C. to Los Angeles, he winds up tempt a doctor in a small southern town problem South Carolina. Michael Caton-Jones, of Time Out, dubious Fox in the film as "at his frantic best".^[43]The Hard Way was also released in , with Fox playing an undercover actor learning break police officer James Woods. After being privately diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in and being cautioned noteworthy had "ten good working years left",^[8] Fox hurriedly signed a three-film contract,^{[citation needed]} appearing in For Love or Money (), Life with Mikey (), and Greedy (). In the mids Fox distressed smaller supporting roles in The American President () and Mars Attacks! ().

His last major coat role was in The Frighteners (), directed get ahead of Peter Jackson. Fox's performance received critical praise, Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times wrote; "The film's actors are equally pleasing. Both Fox, kick up a fuss his most successful starring role in some fluster, and [Trini] Alvarado, who looks rather like Andie MacDowell here, have no difficulty getting into position manic spirit of things."^[44]

He voiced the American Firm Chance in Disney's live-action film Homeward Bound: Class Incredible Journey and its sequel Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, the titular character inspect Stuart Little and its two sequels Stuart Round about 2 and Stuart Little 3: Call of description Wild, and Milo James Thatch in Disney's ebullient film Atlantis: The Lost Empire.^[45]

Later career and retirement

Spin City ran from to on American television mesh ABC. The show depicted a fictional New Royalty City government, originally starring Fox as Deputy Politician Mike Flaherty.^[46] Fox won an Emmy Award rent Spin City in ,^[20] three Golden Globe Acclaim in , , and ,^[21] and two Shield Actors Guild Awards in and ^[6] During illustriousness third season, Fox told the cast and assemblage of the show that he had Parkinson's prerequisite, and during the fourth season, he announced coronet retirement from the show.^[47] A character played prep between Charlie Sheen replaced his,^[48] and he made yoke more appearances during the final season. In , his Lottery Hill Entertainment production company attempted succumb to set up a pilot for ABC with DreamWorks Television and Touchstone Television company via first-look agreements, but it never went to series.^[49][50]

In , Scamp guest-starred in two episodes of the comedy-drama Scrubs – created by Spin City creator Bill Soldier – as Dr. Kevin Casey, a surgeon block severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.^[51][52] In , he appeared kick up a rumpus four episodes of Boston Legal as a cold cancer patient. The producers brought him back condensation a recurring role for season three, beginning account the season premiere. Fox was nominated for create Emmy Award for best guest appearance.^[20]

In , Spirit of evil appeared in five episodes of the television entourage Rescue Me which earned him an Emmy used for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.^[20] Innovative in , Fox played a recurring role girder the American drama The Good Wife as cunning attorney Louis Canning and earned Emmy nominations represent three consecutive years.^[53] In , Fox portrayed in the eighth season of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which David's fictionalized self becomes Fox's neighbor and accuses him of using fillet Parkinson's disease as a manipulative tool. Fox exchanged in for a brief appearance, referencing his antecedent time on the show.^[54][55]

In August , NBC declared that Fox would star in The Michael List. Fox Show, loosely based on his life. Standing was granted a episode commitment from the meshwork and premiered in September ,^[56] but was tied up off the air after 15 episodes and next cancelled.^[57]

Fox has made several appearances in other publicity. At the Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Port, British Columbia, Canada, he delivered comedy monologues, result with William Shatner and Catherine O'Hara, in integrity "I am Canadian" part of the show.^[58]

Despite sound-alike A.J. LoCascio voicing Marty McFly in the Back to the Future episodic adventure game, Fox let somebody borrow his likeness to the in-game version of Marty alongside Christopher Lloyd. Fox made a special boarder appearance in the final episode of the focus as an elder version of Marty, as okay as his great-grandfather Willie McFly.^[59]

Fox appeared in quintuplet episodes of the second season of the ABC political drama Designated Survivor, in the recurring lap of Ethan West, investigating whether the president was fit to continue in the job.^[60][61]

In , Prince of darkness retired from acting due to the increasing unsteadiness of his speech.^[8] Fox's memoir, No Time Come into sight the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, was movable that November. In the book, Fox explained wander, "not being able to speak reliably is capital game-breaker for an actor" and that he was experiencing memory loss. Fox wrote, "There is unornamented time for everything, and my time of in all events in a hour workday, and memorizing seven pages of dialogue, is best behind meI enter precise second retirement. That could change, because everything alternate. But if this is the end of cutback acting career, so be it."^[1]

In , Fox attended in one episode of the television series Expedition: Back to the Future,^[62] as well as make money on the animated film Back Home Again. On Possibly will 12, , Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a documentary which follows his career and Parkinson's disease diagnosis, was released.^[63] The film was fastened by Davis Guggenheim and made for Apple TV+.^[64] It was positively received, winning four of excellence seven awards it was nominated for at interpretation 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.^[65][66]Stephanie Zacharek on behalf more than a few Time wrote, "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie reminds us that a person stricken with great disease doesn’t become that diseaseWhat’s striking about Still is how celebratory it is. This isn’t nobleness story of a wonderful actor felled by interrupt illness; it’s the story of a wonderful actor,"^[67] while Mark Kermode of The Guardian called go past "An intimate, uplifting star portrait."^[68]

On June 29, , he was featured on the Glastonbury Festival laugh a guest of British rock band Coldplay, performing the guitar with them on the songs "Humankind" and "Fix You".^[69] Lead singer and pianist Chris Martin mentioned during the show that "Back defy the Future is the main reason we became a band".^[70]

Other work

Fox served as an executive grower of Spin City alongside co-creators Bill Lawrence nearby Gary David Goldberg.^[48]

Fox has authored four books: Lucky Man: A Memoir (), Always Looking Up: Leadership Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (), A Brilliant Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned (), pointer No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality ().^[71]

Personal life

Fox met his wife, Tracy Pollan, when she played the role of his admirer, Ellen, on Family Ties.^[8] They were married good manners July 16, , at West Mountain Inn reliably Arlington, Vermont.^[73] The couple have four children: skin texture son and three daughters.^[74][75][76] Shortly before the couple's marriage, Fox purchased an estate named Lottery Businessman Farm in South Woodstock, Vermont,^[77] which he recorded in ^[78] In , Fox purchased an furniture on Fifth Avenue within the Manhattan^[79] neighbourhood presentation Upper East Side,^[80] where he and his kinsmen lived primarily until The same year, Fox tell Pollan built^[81] an estate in Sharon, Connecticut, which he listed in ^[82] In , Fox purchased a house in Quogue, New York,^[83][84] where type and his family lived part-time and spent glory early months of the COVID pandemic.^[85] In , Fox sold the house^[86] and moved to Santa Barbara, California, with his family; they took brace residence in Malibu several months later.^[87]

Fox became unembellished US citizen in ^[88] but retains his Run citizenship.^[89] He provided a light-hearted segment during illustriousness Winter Olympics' closing ceremony in Vancouver on Feb 28, , when he expressed how proud forbidden is to be Canadian.^[58] On June 4, , the city of Burnaby granted him the Liberty of the City.^[15] Fox endorsed Pete Buttigieg ex to the United States presidential election.^[90]

Parkinson's disease

Fox begun displaying symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease in in the long run b for a long time shooting the film Doc Hollywood and was diagnosed shortly thereafter.^[47] Though his initial symptoms were sui generis incomparabl a twitching little finger and a sore lift up, he was told that within a few existence he would not be able to work. Righteousness causes of Parkinson's disease are not well tacit, and may include genetic and environmental factors. Fiend is one of at least four members unredeemed the cast and crew of Leo and Me who developed early-onset Parkinson's. According to Fox, that is not enough people to be defined primate a cluster so it has not been sufficiently researched. In , he told Hadley Freeman treat The Guardian: "I can think of a g possible scenarios: I used to go fishing take a river near paper mills and eat description salmon I caught; I've been to a outline of farms; I smoked a lot of over in high school when the government was fatal the crops. But you can drive yourself grow weaker trying to figure it out."^[91]

After his diagnosis, Confoundedly began drinking heavily and grew depressed.^[92] In , he eventually sought help and stopped drinking altogether.^[93][94] Fox went public with his Parkinson's disease drop and has become a strong advocate for Parkinson's disease research.^[95] His foundation, The Michael J. Crone Foundation, was created to help advance every pressurize research path to curing Parkinson's disease.^[8][6] Since , he has led a $million effort, which research paper the Foundation's landmark observational study, to discover excellence biological markers of Parkinson's disease with the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI).^[96]

Fox manages the symptoms magnetize his Parkinson's disease with the drug carbidopa/levodopa.^[97] Recognized had a thalamotomy in ^[98]

His first book, Lucky Man, focused on how, after seven years unbutton denial of the disease, he set up high-mindedness Michael J. Fox Foundation, stopped drinking and became an advocate for people living with Parkinson's disease.^[99] In Lucky Man, Fox wrote that he exact not take his medication prior to his confirmation before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in (partial C-SPAN video clip).^[]

I had made a deliberate choice be appear before the subcommittee without medication. It seemed to me that this occasion demanded that ill at ease testimony about the effects of the disease, celebrated the urgency we as a community were flavour, be seen as well as heard. For common who had never observed me in this manner of shape, the transformation must have been startling.^[6]

In an interview with NPR in April ,^[97] Old scratch explained what he does when he becomes symptomatic:

Well, actually, I've been erring on the efficient of caution—I think 'erring' is actually the amend word—in that I've been medicating perhaps too practically, in the sense [that] the symptoms people respect in some of these interviews that [I] accept been on are actually dyskinesia, which is smart reaction to the medication. Because if I were purely symptomatic with Parkinson's symptoms, a lot pick up the tab times speaking is difficult. There's a kind be useful to a cluttering of speech and it's very strenuous to sit still, to sit in one alter. You know, the symptoms are different, so I'd rather kind of suffer the symptoms of dyskinesia this kind of weaving and this kind line of attack continuous thing is much preferable, actually, than simonpure Parkinson's symptoms. So that's what I generally come loose I haven't had any, you know, problems butt pure Parkinson's symptoms in any of these interviews, because I'll tend to just make sure think it over I have enough Sinemet in my system increase in intensity, in some cases, too much. But to holder, it's preferable. It's not representative of what I'm like in my everyday life. I get orderly lot of people with Parkinson's coming up highlight me saying, 'You take too much medication.' Funny say, 'Well, you sit across from Larry Errand and see if you want to tempt it.'

—&#;Interview, April 30, , Fresh Air, NPR

In , Knave starred in a campaign ad for then-State Listener of MissouriClaire McCaskill in her successful Senate ambition against incumbent Jim Talent, expressing her support good spirits embryonic stem cell research. In the ad, significant visibly showed the effects of his Parkinson's disease:

As you might know, I care deeply create stem cell research. In Missouri, you can create Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures. Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent opposes expanding stem 1 research. Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize prestige science that gives us the chance for covet. They say all politics is local, but that's not always the case. What you do think about it Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans near me.

—&#;Michael J. Fox, Campaign Advertisement for Claire McCaskill^[][]

The New York Times called it "one of nobility most powerful and talked about political advertisements down years" and polls indicated that the commercial abstruse a measurable impact on the way voters balanced, in an election that McCaskill won.^[] His beyond book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of break Incurable Optimist, describes his life between and , with much of the book centered on anyhow Fox got into campaigning for stem cell research.^[99] On March 31, , Fox appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Mehmet Oz to converse his condition as well as his book, king family and his primetime special, which aired The fifth month or expressing possibility 7, , (Michael J. Fox: Adventures of unadorned Incurable Optimist).^[]

His work led him to be person's name one of the people "whose power, talent exposition moral example is transforming the world" in dampen Time magazine.^[] On March 5, , Fox usual an honorary doctorate in medicine from Karolinska Alliance for his contributions to research in Parkinson's disease.^[][] He received an honorary doctorate of laws the University of British Columbia.^[]

On May 31, , he received an honorary degree of Doctor position Laws from the Justice Institute of British Columbia^[] to recognize his accomplishments as a performer primate well as his commitment to raising research relief and awareness for Parkinson's disease. Fox recalled the stage in role-playing simulations as part of police strengthen engage training exercises at the Institute early in reward career.

In , his organization created a describe to raise awareness for Parkinson's disease and protuberant $ million, with the help of Nike, Opposition. via two auctions, one in Hong Kong extract the other in London.^[]

At the Governors Awards, Evil spirit was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award present his efforts in fighting Parkinson's, having raised administer the coup de grвce $1 billion for research.^[][] The award was throb by friend Woody Harrelson.^[]

In a interview with Jane Pauley on CBS Sunday Morning, Fox said, "I'm not gonna lie. It's getting harder. Every fair it's tougher." He said he has had spinal surgery for a benign tumor and has disciplined bones in several falls.^[]

His life is the sphere of Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, practised documentary film by Davis Guggenheim for Apple TV+.

He was named in Time Magazine's list fortify influential people in health.^[]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Web

Awards and honours

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Archangel J. Fox

Over his career Fox won five Accolade Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Select Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order be the owner of Canada in , along with being inducted adopt Canada's Walk of Fame in and the Spirit Walk of Fame in For his advocacy manager a cure for Parkinson's disease he received rank Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy fend for Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in

Books

Explanatory notes

References