Michael J. Fox’s life changed forever when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in his 20s. The beloved Back to the Future and Spin City actor kept his diagnosis a secret for many years. But as of today, as the news about it is out, Fox is doing everything he can to spread knowledge about Parkinson’s, raising millions and millions of dollars.
While Parkinson’s has significantly impacted his life, Michael J. Fox still has one of the most beautiful love stories. He and his wife have been married for more than 35 years. Their love is still strong today, and their children are all grown up.
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In recent years, it was revealed that Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s Disease had grown worse. But just days ago, he appeared on the red carpet, looking fabulous.Michael J. Fox’s life has been a great success, even though his Parkinson’s Disease has taken its toll on him.
Born on June 9, 1961, in Edmonton, Canada, Fox’s childhood was very special as his father had worked in the Canadian Armed Forces, and therefore, the family moved around a lot. Finally, the family settled in Burnaby, British Columbia, and Michael J. Fox found his passion for acting in junior high.
Michael J. Fox – early life & career
He joined the Drama division at school, and it was evident he was a talented actor. Per his website, his theater teacher encouraged him to audition for a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series, Leo & Me, and Fox got the part.
He got several roles on television and, at the same time, worked at the local theater in Vancouver. Michael J. Fox had decided that acting was his call in life at that point. At the age of 17, he packed his bags to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.
Fox dropped out of high school, and his parents always supported his big dreams. His father even drove him all the way to Los Angeles. Speaking on LIVE with Kelly and Mark recently, Fox said he still doesn’t know how he convinced his father to do it.
“I told him that I wanted to go to Los Angeles, I knew I wanted to go to the United States, I knew I wanted to be an actor. My father, I know, thought I was a hippie. He looked me in the eyes and said, ‘If you want to be a lumberjack, you might as well go to the forest.’ So he got me in the car and drove me to California,” Michael J. Fox recalled.Michael Fox didn’t initially have the “J” in his name. Once in Hollywood, he attempted to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the labor union for film and television workers worldwide. However, when applying, he saw that there was another member named “Michael Fox.” Therefore, Fox added a middle initial to his name, choosing “J” as an homage to his favorite actor, Michael J. Pollard.
Fox fulfilled his dream of becoming an actor, and after only a few years, he got one of his most memorable roles. He was cast as Alex P. Keaton on the comedy series Family Ties, which became one of the biggest comedy series on television.
Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan’s love story
The promising actor became a star and won three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his performances on the show.Not long afterward, he landed other parts, including his legendary role as Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
The same year as Back to the Future was released, in 1985, Michael J. Fox would meet someone who would change his life forever.
On the set of Family Ties, he met Tracy Pollan. They were cast as each other’s love interests on the show. Sparks were only on-screen at the time, but a few years later, they’d reunite and fall in love.Even so, Michael J. Fox already had a crush on Tracy while working on Family Ties.
“I developed a crush on her right away. When she left the show – the day she left the show, we were in the parking lot getting into our respective cars. She was getting into a rented Volkswagen, and I was getting into my Ferrari. And she called me over and said she wanted to play me a song. She played me a James Taylor song called That’s Why I’m Here, which was ostensibly about John Belushi. And one of the lines was, ‘John’s gone, found dead, died high. He’s brown bread, later said to have drowned in his bed. After the laughter, the wave of dread, it hits us like a ton of lead. That’s why we’re here,’” Fox recalled in an interview with NPR.
“And I instantly knew what she meant,” he added. “She had only known me for a short time, but I was partying too hard. And I was really on a crash course to something bad happening. And as I got back in my Ferrari and got on my cellphone, and turned on my quadraphonic stereo, I realized she was right. I was going down the wrong road. And I ran into her a year later. She auditioned for a film I made called Bright Lights, Big City. And I said, how’s so-and-so, your boyfriend? And she said, ‘We’re not going out anymore.’ And I said, ‘You want to have lunch?’ And within two years, we were married.”