Michael J. Fox
Actor and activist known for Family Ties, Back to the Future, and Parkinson's disease advocacy.
He became a teen idol through his Emmy-winning role as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties and his starring role as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy.[1][2][3] Michael Andrew Fox, who later became known as Michael J. Fox, was born in 1961 in Alberta, Canada.[4] According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, his total awards include 5 Emmy wins, 4 Golden Globe Awards, 1 Grammy Award, and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards.[4]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Michael Andrew Fox
- Born
- 9 June 1961
- Birthplace
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Citizenship
- Canada, US (2000–present)
- Occupation
- Actor
- activist
- TV producer
- Spouse
- Tracy Pollan, July 16, 1988
- Children
- 4
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
He adopted the middle initial "J" as an homage to character actor Michael J. Pollard because another actor named Michael Fox was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild.[4] Fox landed the role of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties after Matthew Broderick was unavailable, and the show ran for seven seasons from 1982 to 1989.[5][1] In January 1985, Fox replaced Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, working a grueling schedule that lasted two full months.[6][7] He starred in the Back to the Future sequels in 1989 and 1990, and during the hanging stunt in Part III, Fox briefly passed out when his carotid artery was blocked.[7][2]
Fox played Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty on Spin City from 1996 to 2002, winning an Emmy and three Golden Globe Awards for the role.[8][4] He publicly disclosed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 1998 and retired from full-time acting after one more season of Spin City.[4][8] The sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show, which aired from 2013 to 2014, featured Fox as a TV reporter named Mike Henry who deals with Parkinson's and family life; this was his final major acting role.[9][10]
What the cited sources add
Fox adopted his middle initial "J" as a tribute to character actor Michael J. Pollard, according to the foundation's biography.[4] A Collider article reports that Fox nearly died during the hanging stunt in Back to the Future Part III and that director Robert Zemeckis saved his life.[2] The Golden Globes database lists Fox's birth date as June 9, 1961, and notes his film credits including The Secret of My Success and Doc Hollywood.[10] The foundation's website records that Fox received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025 and was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2026.[4]
Fox was named the recipient of the Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award in September 2026 for his contributions to Parkinson's research.[4]
References
- Haglund, "Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero", March 2, 2007. facts only, no text reused. slate.com
- Van Horn, "This Back to the Future Stunt Almost Killed Michael J. Fox", Collider, August 31, 2023. facts only, no text reused. collider.com
- Wikipedia, "Michael J. Fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Episode 080: 50 Greatest Teen Idols", VH1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Michael's Story", The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. facts only, no text reused. michaeljfox.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael J. Fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Haglund, "Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero", March 2, 2007; Haglund, "Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero", March 2, 2007 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael J. Fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Back to the Future: Making the Trilogy: Chapter 1 (DVD Documentary)" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael J. Fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Back to the Future", Box Office Mojo; "Back to the Future", July 1, 1985; "Michael J. Fox", Golden Globes; "Back to the Future Part III. Special Features: Making the Trilogy: Chapter Three", Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2002; Stolworthy, "37 actors who almost died on set", The Independent, May 27, 2024; Van Horn, "This Back to the Future Stunt Almost Killed Michael J. Fox", Collider, August 31, 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael J. Fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Politics and Politicians in Contemporary US Television: Washington as Fiction", Routledge, 2016, p. 8; Weinraub, "Charlie Sheen Delivers A New Spin To 'Spin City'", The New York Times, May 7, 2001; "Emmy Award History", Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; "Golden Globe Awards for Michael J. Fox", Golden Globe Awards; "Michael's Story", The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research; "Fox quits Spin City", BBC News, January 19, 2000; Weinraub, "Charlie Sheen Delivers A New Spin To 'Spin City'", The New York Times, May 7, 2001 en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael J. Fox" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Perez, "Michael J. Fox Details Entering a 'Second Retirement,' Health Struggles in New Memoir", November 17, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Michael J. Fox", Golden Globes. facts only, no text reused. goldenglobes.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Michael J. Fox (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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