Michael J Fox Michael J Fox was born in 1961 in Alberta, Canada. His mother, Phyllis Fox was an actress and his father, William Fox was a Sergeant. When Michael was young his family traveled quite a bit throughout Canada because of his father’s job with the Canadian Armed Forces. They finally settled in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1971. Michael dropped out of high school before his senior year to pursue acting. He never received his diploma, which became a large regret of his later. In 1995, he earned his G.E.D. Fox moved to Los Angeles to try to become an actor. Initially, Michael landed parts here and there in TV movies and other films like Midnight Madness and Class of 1984. After a small taste of what the business could be like, Fox’s career stalled. He became so desperate that he started selling off all of the furniture in his apartment; his sectional couch was bought by actor Lance Guest. Shortly after the last of his furniture was sold, Fox landed the part of Alex P. Keaton on the television show, Family Ties. Initially, NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff did not want to give the part to Fox. Finally, he relented at the insistence of creator Gary David Goldberg, and said, “Go ahead if you insist. But I’m telling you, this is not the kind of face you’ll ever see on a lunch box.” After Fox became a huge success and there were lunch boxes with his face on them, he sent one to Tartikoff with a note saying, “Eat crow, Tartikoff.” The executive reportedly kept the lunch box in his office for many years after that.
Fox negotiated his contract for Family Ties in a phone booth outside of a Pioneer Chicken restaurant in Hollywood because he could not afford a home phone. When he was told the studio would need his number to call him if he got the part, he gave them the pay phone number and told them he would only be home between the hours of 4 and 5PM. He waited by the phone and fortunately, they called. Fox met his future wife, Tracy Pollan on the set of Family Ties when she secured the role of his character’s girlfriend in 1985. The couple married in 1988. They have four children together Samuel Michael, born in 1989, twins Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances born in 1995, and Esme Annabelle born in 2001. The couple remains married to this day. Since his big break, Fox has starred in several other notable films including Back to the Future (1985) co-starring Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson, and Mars Attacks! (1996) co-starring Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Natalie Portman, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Tom Jones. When Michael was filming the movie, Doc Hollywood (1991), he noticed his finger twitching uncontrollably. He went to the doctor who diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease. Fox went public with his disorder in a 1998 issue of People magazine.
Fox has since become an advocate for Parkinson’s disease research including stem cell research that may help other sufferers conquer this illness. In 2000, Fox established the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The goal of the foundation is to develop a cure for Parkinson’s disease with this decade through heavily funded research. Fox had the starring role in the television series, Sin City (1996), but in 2000 he announced that he would leave the show because of his illness. While filming, he would often have to keep his right hand in his pocket to hide the shaking. He was replaced by Charlie Sheen. In 2002, he wrote his autobiography entitled, Lucky Man. The book was predominantly about dealing with Parkinson’s disease as well as other obstacles he has had to face in his life. |
