Fox plays starring role in bid to beat Parkinson’s
Burnaby actor now a tireless advocate for research
To mark Canada’s 150th birthday, we’re counting down to Canada Day with profiles of 150 noteworthy British Columbians.
Just as Doc Brown pushes Marty McFly to envision a future without roads in 1985’s Back To The Future, actor Michael J. Fox continues to push the world toward a future without Parkinson’s.
For many, it’s his portrayal of McFly, a modern — well, for the ’80s — teen thrown through a DeLorean-turned-time-machine that cemented him as a household name for cinephiles. But it’s Fox’s tireless work advocating for Parkinson’s disease research that has earned him international respect and admiration.
The 55-year-old actor was born Michael Andrew Fox in Edmonton in 1961. (He later adopted the J. as a nod to actor Michael J. Pollard.) Fox and his family moved frequently when he was young, until his father retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and the family settled in Burnaby.
In high school, Fox began to dabble with writing and music, trading his dreams of playing in the NHL for stage and screen. At age 15, Fox made his professional debut in CBC’s Leo and Me alongside Brent Carver, followed by various roles in theatre, television and made-for-TV films.
He later moved to Los Angeles at age 18, where he landed the role of Alex P. Keaton on the NBC hit, Family Ties. It was a part he would play for the next seven years and one that would earn him three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
After Family Ties wrapped, Fox went on to star in Spin City for four seasons, as well as a number of bigscreen features, including Teen Wolf, For Love Or Money, The Secret Of My Success, and a fan favourite: the Back To The Future trilogy.
In 1991, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He wouldn’t go public with his diagnosis until 1998. Following his departure from Spin City, he launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which would be dedicated to an aggressive campaign for Parkinson’s research.
Fox returned to TV in 2013 to star on The Michael J. Fox Show for a season, playing a character who faces Parkinson’s. He’s also guested on The Good Wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Rescue Me.
He’s also the published author of three books, including Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.
Fox, as well, has received a number of humanitarian awards and honours, and in 2010, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.