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Michael J. Fox (1961)

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Background[]

Michael J. Fox ( b. 9 June 1961 ) is a Canadian activist and retired actor. He has appeared in live action television and cinematic roles; and voice acting performances.

He began his career as a child actor who transitioned into becoming one of the most popular teen heartthrobs and idols in the 1980s at the height of his fame.

Fox is best known for his extended role as the money grubbing diehard Young Republican Alex P. Keaton in the beloved family television sitcom Family Ties. The series was originally intended to primarily focus on his on-screen parents, the elder Keatons who were former Hippies of the 60's and devout liberals facing their comedic tribulations with raising their children with very different values and viewpoints of themselves. As exemplified by their frequent clashes with the overly materialistic and incredibly conservative Alex; a child of the 80's.

But the overwhelming audience reactions to Michael J. Fox's charismatic presence quickly shifted the series onto Fox instead and he emerged as the central character of the sitcom series and a major star. Fox won three consecutive Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his performances during the original series run.

Fox is also an enduring pop culture icon for his role as the hapless Marty McFly in the famous time traveling Back to the Future film. He would go on to reprise the role for the film sequels; Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III.

Further, he appeared in a number of other feature films such as Teen Wolf; The Secret of My Success; Casualties of War; and The Frighteners; as well as the lead role of Deputy Mayor Michael Flaherty in the hit TV sitcom Spin City for which he won a Primetime Emmy and three Golden Globes for his performances.

Fox was forced to retire from his lucrative acting career due to being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease; a progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. This illness took an ever increasing worsening toll on his physical condition. He subsequently parlayed his fame into becoming an activist and advocate into not only raising awareness for the disease but also for funding medical research into finding a cure. In 2000, he founded a non-profit group; the Michael J. Foundation which is dedicated towards raising money and privately funding medical research into developing better treatments for Parkinson's Disease.

Biography[]

Personal Life[]

Filmography[]

Trivia[]

  • Upon discovering that he could not register his name with the Screen Actors Guild because another actor, Michael Fox was already using it; he declined to using his middle initial to distinguish himself. Fox figured that he could never live down the pun, "Michael A. Fox!" and came up with the initial of "J" instead. The J itself does not stand for anything but he thought it a fitting tribute because of another Michael whom he admired, the actor, Michael J. Pollard.

Quotes[]

  • "Family is not an important thing. It's everything."
  • "There's always failure. And there's always disappointment. And there's always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums."
  • "Pain is temporary, film is forever."
  • "I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business."
  • "My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations."
  • "Acceptance doesn't mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there's got to be a way through it."
  • "Pity is a benign form of abuse."
  • "What other people think about me is not my business."

External Links[]

IMDb Profile

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