Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox became a star in 1982 as young conservative Alex P. Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties. In 1985 he rocketed to film fame as time-traveling teen Marty McFly in Back to the Future, the year's top-grossing movie.
Canadian Beginnings
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, he left high school to pursue acting and moved to Los Angeles as a teenager. Early struggles gave way to his breakout TV role on Family Ties.
Marty McFly
Back to the Future made him a movie star in 1985, the same summer Teen Wolf opened. He balanced film hits with his hit sitcom, winning multiple Emmys for Family Ties.
Advocate
Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991, he went public in 1998 and founded his research foundation in 2000. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025 for his advocacy.
Career Timeline
- 1982Family Ties debuts; he plays Alex Keaton
- 1985Back to the Future is year's top film
- 1985Also stars in Teen Wolf
- 1986Wins first Family Ties Emmy
- 1987Stars in The Secret of My Success
- 1991Privately diagnosed with Parkinson's
- 1996Returns to TV in Spin City
- 1998Publicly reveals his diagnosis
- 2000Founds Michael J. Fox Foundation
- 2025Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Biggest Hits
- He added the middle initial J to his stage name because another actor was already registered as Michael Fox.
- Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 at age 29, he became one of the world's leading advocates for research toward a cure.
Portrait: Thomas Atilla Lewis · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons