Michael J.Fox

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox was born June 9th, 1961 in Edmonton Alberta Ontario. Wildly quirky and short for the first ten years or so of his life most of the adults wondered if he would ever grow up physically and emotionally.  When Michael’s grandmother assured them that Michael would do more in his life than they could ever imagine, they had no idea how right she was.  

In creative subjects (like drama, art, music, etc.) Michael would always bring home A’s.  But on any subject based on fixed rules, like math or chemistry weren’t so good.  In high school Fox was flunking because of to many absences.  So at the age of 17 he gave notice that he would not be returning for classes in the spring and his father who was skeptical about the idea but finally agreed to drive him to Los Angeles to find an agent and begin his career.  But as a Canadian he needed a needed a permit stating that he had a special ability that made him more employable.  His special ability was that he looked younger than his age so the company could save a lot of money.  By 1982 Michael J. Fox had been in Hollywood for six years with little to show for it, he had been on Palmerstown USA but that quickly got cancelled.  With little money and little recognition Michaels chances in becoming a star were looking slim, then the role of Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties was being cast.  After much effort Michael got the role, which was the kick-start to his career.  

When Michael was younger he wanted to be a writer, a hockey player, a rock star but finally decided on acting and he never gave up on it.  He starred in movies like Back to the Future, High School USA, Poison Ivy, and Teen Wolf.  But being an actor was interrupted when Michael J. Fox found out he had Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking (tremors) and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. Michael J. Tried to hide his disorder from the public for as long as he could. He kept making movies despite his condition. After seven years of keeping his secret private he came out in 1998 (age 37) that he had Parkinson’s.  Michael was on spin city a successful television show but decided to leave the show to spend more time with his family and to work on The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research that people can donate to help find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.