Michael J Fox, also known as Michael Andrew Fox, is a Canadian-American activist, film producer, author, and retired actor.
Starting his career in the 70s, Fox first rose to fame for portraying Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, a sitcom on NBC.
He then achieved more fame when he played the protagonist in the Back to the Future film trilogy, Marty McFly. The critical and commercial success of the trilogy led to him headlining multiple films throughout the 80s and 90s.
These films include The Frighteners, Casualties of War, and The Secret of My Success. He returned to TV on Spin City, a sitcom on ABC. Fox portrayed the lead role of Mike Flaherty from 1996 to 2000.
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Personal Life
Michael Andrew Fox has his birthday on June 9, 1961, and he was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is the son of a payroll clerk and actress, Phyllis, and a Canadian Forces member and police officer, William Fox.
Michael J Fox is of Scottish, English, and Irish descent. His family lived in different towns and cities throughout Canada due to the career of his father.
Eventually, the family moved to Burnaby when his father retired in 1971. It’s a huge suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. On January 6, 1990, Fox’s father died of a heart attack.
Fox went to Burnaby Central Secondary School. Today, there is a theatre named for him at Burnaby South Secondary.
Fox starred in the Canadian TV show Leo and Me at the age of 15. The show was produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. At the age of 18, Fox moved to LA to improve his acting career. He then moved back to Vancouver shortly after his marriage.
A producer, Ronald Shedlo, was the one who discovered Fox and made his American TV debut in the TV show Letters from Frank.
Fox is married to Tracy Pollan. He met her when she played the role of his girlfriend on the show Family Ties. They then got married on July 16, 1988.
Pollan and Fox have 4 kids. They have a daughter named Esme Annabelle. They also have a twin daughter named Schuyler Frances and Aquinnah Kathleen. Lastly, they have a son named Sam Michael. Fox holds dual Canadian-US citizenship.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics’ closing ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia, Fox gave a light-hearted segment. Fox expressed during the segment how proud he is to be Canadian.
Fox and his family live mainly in Manhattan. They also have a second property in Quogue, New York.
Film Career
One of the early acting roles of Fox was in an episode of the TV show Leo and Me. One year later, Fox appeared in the TV movie Letters from Frank.
He then made his film debut in the 1980 movie Midnight Madness. Fox also played a recurring role in the TV show Palmerstown, USA in the same year.
For 17 episodes, Fox played the character, Willy-Joe Hall. His role stopped in 1981.
After he joined the cast of Family Ties, Fox became a household name. He played the role of Alex P. Keaton from 1982 to 1989.
However, Fox’s career skyrocketed after he played the protagonist in the 1985 movie Back to the Future. He played the role of Marty McFly. In the same year, he also starred in the well-known movie Teen Wolf.
Family Ties ended in 1989. At the same time, Fox went on to create the sequel of Back to the Future.
After one year, he released Back to the Future Part III. The other acting roles of Fox include appearances in Spin City, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Good Wife, and Designated Survivor.
Awards
Fox won a Primetime Emmy Award back in 1987 for his role in Family Ties. The award was Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
In 1988, he won again. Then, in 2000, he won another award for his role in Spin City. Fox also obtained Golden Globe awards in 2000, 1999, and 1998 for his starring roles in Spin City and Family Ties.
In 2010, Fox received a Grammy award for best spoken word album for Always Looking Up. Fox’s other awards include TV Land Awards, a People’s Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild awards, a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy award, and Kids’ Choice awards.
Parkinson’s Disease
In 1991, Fox began showing signs of early-onset Parkinson’s disease while shooting the film Doc Hollywood. Later, he was diagnosed with the disease.
While his initial symptoms were only a sore shoulder and a twitching little finger, he was told he won’t be able to work within several years.
The causes of Parkinson’s disease aren’t well-understood. According to professionals, it might include environmental and genetic factors.
Fox is one of the four cast members of Leo and me who developed early-onset Parkinson’s. According to him, this isn’t enough people to be defined as a cluster. Thus, it hasn’t been well-researched.
After being diagnosed with the disease, Fox began heavily drinking. He also suffered from depression. However, he sought help and stopped drinking as well.
He went public about his disease in 1998. Since then, Fox has become a strong advocate of Parkinson’s disease research. He also founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help advance all promising studies to curing Parkinson’s disease.
Fox handles the symptoms of his disease by using the drug levodopa.
Michael J Fox Total Net Worth
So, how much is the net worth of Michael J Fox? Well, the actor boasts a successful career in the entertainment industry that spanned more than 30 years.
Over the course of his career, Fox has gained a huge fortune. According to reports in 2021, Fox is estimated to have around $65 million in net worth.
The figure is inclusive of the net worth of his wife. Because of this, Michael J Fox is considered one of the wealthiest Canadian-American actors.