Michael J. Fox: Inside His Career and Parkinsons Battle

Fox was born in Alberta. His father, William, was a war veteran and worked in the Canadian police force, while his mother, Phyllis, was a payroll clerk and actress.

He began his acting career in the late 1970s but shot to fame in 1985, at age 24, playing "Marty McFly" in Steven Spielberg's 'Back to the Future.' The role initially went to Eric Stoltz, but the film was re-shot with Fox after producers felt the first version didn't work. Following his success with 'Back to the Future' and the high school comedy 'Teen Wolf' in 1985, Michael J. Fox transitioned to television, playing Mike Flaherty in the political sitcom "Spin City."

He was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's in 1991, three years into his marriage with Tracy, whom he met on the set of his successful 1980s sitcom 'Family Ties.' Fox didn't make his diagnosis public until 1998 when he announced he would leave 'Spin City' after the show's fourth season.

His acting career continued, but Fox later admitted that his diagnosis significantly impacted the roles he could play. He shared on Mike Birbiglia’s 'Working It Out' podcast: "When I did the spinoff from 'The Good Wife,' which is 'The Good Fight,' I couldn’t remember the lines. I just had this blank, I couldn’t remember the lines. I can’t remember five pages of dialogue. I can’t do it."

He also mentioned to 'US' that every step felt like "a math problem," forcing him to slow down. "It’s like my walking. I used to walk fast, but every step is now like a frigging math problem, so I take it slow. And with acting, I used to race to the punchline. But I started to really pay attention because I couldn’t just skate over any moment," he added.

In 2020, he told 'People', "My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and my acting is getting tougher to do. So it’s down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it."

Fox has penned four books since his diagnosis, with the latest, 'No Time Like The Future,' published in 2020. In 2000, two years after going public with his diagnosis, he established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which has since raised $1 billion to find a cure for the disease.

Through his fundraising efforts, he has become a leading voice in raising Parkinson's awareness. However, he revealed to 'CBS' that he sometimes questions whether he has the right to tell people to "have a positive attitude" and to "cheer up." In 2002, he referred to Parkinson's as a "gift that keeps on taking," and in a 2020 interview with the 'Guardian', he admitted he doesn't believe a cure will be found in his lifetime.

Thankfully, Fox can count on the support of his wife, Tracy. Speaking to 'CBS' in 2021, 30 years after his diagnosis, Fox recalled, "So very early in the marriage, she got this dumped on her. And the moment that I told her, I realized it was the last time we cried about it together. We haven't cried about Parkinson's since. "We've just dealt with it and lived our lives. But we cried about it that first time," he said. The couple has four children together: Sam, Schuyler, Aquinnah, and Esme, who often appear on Michael's Instagram and have been a constant support through his battle with the disease.

Ahead of the release of his 2023 documentary 'Still,' Fox exclusively told 'Us Weekly' why he remains an open book about living with Parkinson’s disease. The documentary explores the actor’s life, from his early days as a rising young star in Hollywood to the trials and triumphs of his professional and personal life after his diagnosis.