Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox | |
|---|---|
 Michael J. Fox at the 40th Emmy Awards, August 1988 | |
| Born | Michael Andrew Fox |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, author, producer, advocate, voice-over artist |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse | Tracy Pollan (1988–present) |
Michael J. Fox, OC (born Michael Andrew Fox; June 9, 1961) is a Canadian–American actor, author, comedian, producer, advocate and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990); Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties (1982–1989), for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and Mike Flaherty from Spin City (1996–2000), for which he won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1991, and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998. Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of his disease worsened. He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure. This led him to create the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and on March 5, 2010, Sweden's Karolinska Institutet gave him a honoris causa doctorate for his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson's disease.[1]
Since the year 2000 Fox has mainly worked as a voice over actor in films such as Stuart Little, and taken minor TV roles such as in Boston Legal. He has also released three books, Lucky Man: A Memoir (2002), Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (2009) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned (2010). He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010.[2]
Early life
Michael Andrew Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the son of Phyllis (née Piper), an actress and payroll clerk, and William Fox, a police officer and member of the Canadian Forces.[3][4][5] Fox's family lived in various cities and towns across Canada because of his father's career.[4] The family finally settled in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, when his father retired in 1971.[6] Fox attended Burnaby Central Secondary School, and currently has a theatre named after him in Burnaby South Secondary.
Fox co-starred in the Canadian television series Leo and Me at the age of fifteen, and in 1979, moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career at the age of eighteen.[4] He was discovered by producer Ronald Shedlo and made his American television debut in the television movie Letters from Frank, credited under the name "Michael Fox". He intended to continue to use the name, but when he registered with the Screen Actors Guild, which does not allow duplicate registration names to avoid credit ambiguities, he discovered that Michael Fox, a veteran character actor, was already registered under the name.[4] As he explained in his autobiography, Lucky Man: A Memoir, and in interviews, he needed to come up with a different name. He did not like the sound of "Andrew" or "Andy" Fox, so he decided to adopt a new middle initial and settled on "J", in reference to actor Michael J. Pollard.[6]
Acting career
Family Ties
Fox’s first feature film role was in Midnight Madness (1980) credited as Michael Fox. After this he played "Young Republican" Alex P. Keaton in the show Family Ties which aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. Fox only received the role after Matthew Broderick was unavailable.[7] Family Ties had been sold to the television network using the pitch "hip parents, square kids,"[7] with the parents originally intended to be the main characters. However, the positive reaction to Fox's performance led to his character becoming the focus of the show following the fourth episode.[7] At its peak, the audience for Family Ties drew one-third of Americas households every week.[4]
Brandon Tartikoff, one of the show's producers, felt that Fox was too short in relation to the actors playing his parents, and tried to have him replaced. Tartikoff reportedly said that "this is not the kind of face you'll ever find on a lunch-box". After his later successes, Fox presented Tartikoff with a custom-made lunch-box with the inscription "To Brandon, this is for you to put your crow in. Love and Kisses, Michael J. Fox". Tartikoff kept the lunch-box in his office for the rest of his NBC career.[8]
While filming Family Ties, Fox met his future wife, Tracy Pollan when she portrayed his girlfriend, Ellen.[4] When Fox left the TV series Spin City, his final episodes made numerous allusions to Family Ties: Michael Gross (who played Alex's father Steven) portrays Mike Flaherty's (Fox) therapist,[9] and there is a reference to an off-screen character named "Mallory".[10] Also, when Flaherty becomes an environmental lobbyist in Washington D.C., he meets a conservative senator from Ohio named Alex P. Keaton, and in one episode Meredith Baxter played Mike's mother.
Back to the Future trilogy
After a few years into Family Ties, producer Gary David Goldberg was approached and was asked to let Fox star in a Steven Spielberg produced film about a time-travelling teenager. At first, Goldberg did not inform Michael about the offer because he did not want to lose Michael to film stardom. Months later, Goldberg was again asked about Michael, because Eric Stoltz who had been chosen for the role was reportedly not giving the energetic performance that Robert Zemeckis, the director, was looking for. Goldberg finally told Michael about the offer and he quickly agreed to play the role of Marty McFly in the film Back to the Future.
During filming, Fox would rehearse for Family Ties from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, then rush to the Back to the Future set where he would rehearse and shoot until 2:30 a.m.[4] This schedule lasted for two full months.[4] On July 4, 1985, Back to the Future was number one at the box office. The film was the highest grossing movie for 11 consecutive weeks and eventually earned a worldwide total of $381.11 million. Two sequels, Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively.
Mid-career
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During and immediately after the Back to the Future trilogy, Fox starred in Teen Wolf (1985), Light of Day (1987), The Secret of My Success (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988) and Casualties of War, (1989). In The Secret of My Success, Fox played a graduate student from Kansas State University who moves to New York City where he has landed a job as a financier. During the shooting of Bright Lights, Big City, Michael was reunited with his on-screen girlfriend Tracy Pollan from Family Ties. Fox then starred in Casualties of War, a war drama about the Vietnam War, alongside Sean Penn. Casualties of War was not a box office hit, but Fox, playing a Private serving in Vietnam, received good reviews for his performance.[11]
In 1991, he starred in Doc Hollywood, a romantic comedy about a talented medical doctor who decides to become a plastic surgeon. While relocating from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, California, he winds up as a doctor in a small southern town. The Hard Way was also released in 1991, with Fox playing an undercover actor learning from police officer James Woods. Between 1992 and 1996, he continued making several films, such as For Love or Money (1993), Life With Mikey (1993), Greedy (1994), The American President (1995), and Mars Attacks! (1996).[4] His last major film role was in The Frighteners (1996).
Fox has also done voice work providing the voice of Stuart Little in the Stuart Little movie and its sequel, both of which were based on the popular book by E. B. White. He also voiced the bulldog Chance in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and its sequel Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, as well as Milo Thatch in Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
While shooting The Frighteners, Fox decided to make a return to television. While filming the movie in New Zealand, he would watch videotapes of American television shows, such as Seinfeld, Friends and Ellen amongst others. He saw what good things were going on in television and wanted to return. His twin daughters had just been born and he was halfway across the world, so television meant a more regular schedule and it would allow much more time to spend with his family.[citation needed]
Spin City and later career
Spin City ran from 1996 to 2002 on ABC, based on a fictional local government running New York City, originally starring Fox as Mike Flaherty, a Fordham Law grad serving as the Deputy Mayor of New York.[4] During the third season of Spin City, Fox made the announcement to the cast and crew of the show that he had Parkinson's Disease. During the fourth season, he announced his retirement from the show to focus on spending more time with his family. He announced that he planned to continue to act and would make guest appearances on Spin City (he made three more appearances on the show during the final season). After leaving the show, he was replaced by Charlie Sheen, who portrayed the character Charlie Crawford. Altogether, 145 episodes were made. Fox also served as an executive producer during his time on the show, alongside co-creators Bill Lawrence and Gary David Goldberg, and continued to be credited as executive consultant after he left.
In 2004, Fox guest starred in two episodes of the comedy-drama Scrubs as Dr. Kevin Casey, a surgeon with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. The series was created by Spin City creator Bill Lawrence, and Fox was one of many Spin City co-stars to appear on that series. In 2006, he appeared in four episodes of Boston Legal as a lung cancer patient who used his influence in an experimental drug test to ensure he received the real drug instead of a placebo. The producers brought him back in a recurring role for Season 3, beginning with the season premiere, where his character is arrested for trying to buy a lung. Though his character did not survive the season, Fox was nominated for an Emmy Award for best guest appearance. In the same year, E! True Hollywood Story profiled Fox in a two-hour episode about his life, which continues to re-air on the network. In 2009, he appeared in five episodes of the television series Rescue Me which earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He was also a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on April 28, 2009. Since 2000 Fox has released three books, Lucky Man: A Memoir (2002), Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (2009) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned (2010).
Personal life
Fox married actress Tracy Pollan on July 16, 1988, at West Mountain Inn in Arlington, Vermont. The couple have four children: Sam Michael (born May 30, 1989), twins Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances (born February 15, 1995), and Esmé Annabelle (born November 3, 2001). Fox holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship.[12]
Fox started displaying symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease in 1990 while shooting the movie Doc Hollywood, although he was not properly diagnosed until the next year. After his diagnosis, Fox's drinking, which had been a problem for many years, became even more marked; however, he sought help and stopped drinking altogether.[13] In 1998, he decided to go public with his condition, and since then he has been a strong advocate of Parkinson's disease research.[4] His foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, was created to help advance every promising research path to a Parkinson's disease research through embryonic stem cell studies.[4]
One of the few people to know that Fox had Parkinson's Disease before 1998 was Charles Croughwell, one of his best friends and Fox's stunt double on Doc Hollywood. In later years, Croughwell and Fox developed a system of hiding the symptoms, as explained on E! True Hollywood Story.
On June 4, 2010, the City of Burnaby, British Columbia honoured Fox by granting him Freedom of the City.
Illness and advocacy
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurological disorder which can be characterized by four cardinal symptoms: rigidity (specifically "leadpipe" and "cogwheeling" rigidity), resting tremor, postural instability, and bradykinesia (slow movement). At present, there is no cure, but medications provide some relief from the symptoms. Fox manages his symptoms using Sinemet,[14] a commercial form of Levodopa (L-DOPA) and carbidopa. L-DOPA treatment decreases in effectiveness as it is used over a long period of time, so Fox, like many PD sufferers, extends the life of its effectiveness by using it as little as possible. He has now had a thalamotomy.[15]
In his memoir, Lucky Man, Fox wrote that he did not take his medication prior to his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in 1998; "I had made a deliberate choice to appear before the subcommittee without medication. It seemed to me that this occasion demanded that my testimony about the effects of the disease, and the urgency we as a community were feeling, be seen as well as heard. For people who had never observed me in this kind of shape, the transformation must have been startling".[16]
In an April 2002 NPR interview,[14] Fox explained what he does when he becomes symptomatic during an interview:
Well, actually, I've been erring on the side of caution — I think 'erring' is actually the right word — in that I've been medicating perhaps too much, in the sense times the symptoms that people see in some of these interviews that have been on are actually dyskinesia, which is a reaction to the medication. Because if I were purely symptomatic with Parkinson's symptoms, a lot of times speaking is difficult. There's a kind of a cluttering of speech and it's very difficult to sit still, to sit in one place. You know, the symptoms are different, so I'd rather kind of suffer the symptoms of dyskinesia... this kind of weaving and this kind of continuous thing is much preferable, actually, than pure Parkinson's symptoms. So that's what I generally do... ...I haven't had any, you know, problems with pure Parkinson's symptoms in any of these interviews, because I'll tend to just make sure that I have enough Sinemet in my system and, in some cases, too much. But to me, it's preferable. It's not representative of what I'm like in my everyday life. I get a lot of people with Parkinson's coming up to me saying, 'You take too much medication.' I say, 'Well, you sit across from Larry King and see if you want to tempt it.'
In 2006, Fox starred in a campaign ad for Claire McCaskill expressing her support for stem cell research. In the ad, he visibly showed the effects of his Parkinson's medication.
As you might know, I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri, you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures. Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research. Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us the chance for hope. They say all politics is local, but that's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans like me.
The New York Times called it "one of the most powerful and talked about political advertisements in years" and polls indicated that the commercial had a statistical impact on the way voters voted.[17]
On March 31, 2009, Fox appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Dr. Oz to publicly discuss his condition as well as his recent book, his family and his prime time special which aired May 7, 2009 (Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist).[18]
Fox participated in the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in association with UCLA, April 26, 2009. He shared a conversation with Mary McNamara, a New York Times reporter.
On February 28, 2010, Fox provided a light-hearted segment during the 2010 Winter Olympics' closing ceremony which took place in Vancouver, BC, Canada wherein he expressed how proud he is to be Canadian.
On March 5, 2010, Fox received an honorary doctorate in medicine from Karolinska Institutet for his contributions to research in Parkinson's disease.[19] He also has received an honorary doctor of laws from the University of British Columbia.[20]
Filmography
Actor
Producer
| Year(s) | Film or television show | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Coldblooded | Producer |
| 1996–2000 | Spin City | Executive producer |
| 1999 | Anna Says | Executive producer |
| 2002 | Otherwise Engaged | Executive producer |
| 2003 | Hench at Home | Executive producer |
Awards and nominations
- 2000: Inducted, Canada's Walk of Fame [21]
- 1986: Won, Best Actor - Back to the Future
- 1997: Nominated, Best Actor - The Frighteners
- 1996: Nominated, Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - The American President
- 1999: Nominated, Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication - Spin City
- 2000: Nominated, Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication - Spin City
- 1985: Nominated, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 1986: Won, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 1987: Won, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 1988: Won, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 1989: Nominated, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 1997: Nominated, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Spin City
- 1998: Nominated, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Spin City
- 1999: Nominated, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Spin City
- 2000: Won, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Spin City
- 2006: Nominated, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series - Boston Legal
- 2009: Won, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series - Rescue Me
Family Television Awards
- 2000: Won
- 1986: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Family Ties
- 1986: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy/Musical - Back to the Future
- 1987: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Family Ties
- 1988: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Family Ties
- 1989: Won, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Family Ties
- 1997: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Spin City
- 1998: Won, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Spin City
- 1999: Won, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Spin City
- 2000: Won, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical - Spin City
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
- 1988: Won, Favorite TV Actor - Family Ties
- 1990: Won, Favorite Movie Actor - Back to the Future Part II
- 2000: Nominated, Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie - Stuart Little
- 2000: Nominated, Favorite Television Actor - Spin City
- 1997: Won, Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series
- 1997: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Comedy or Musical - Spin City
- 1998: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Comedy or Musical - Spin City
- 1999: Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Comedy or Musical - Spin City
- 1999: Won, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Spin City
- 2000: Won, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Spin City
TV Guide Awards
- 1999: Nominated, Favorite Actor in a Comedy - Spin City
- 2000: Nominated, Favorite Actor in a Comedy - Spin City
- 2007: Nominated, Break Up That Was So Bad It Was Good - Family Ties (shared w/Courteney Cox)
Viewers For Quality Television Awards
- 1986: Won, Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 1987: Won, Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series - Family Ties
- 2002: Star on the Walk of Fame - 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
- 2008: Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, New York University[22]
- 2008: Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of British Columbia.[23]
- 2009: He was invited by Sandeep Marwah President Marwah Studios at Asian Academy Of Film & TV , India and the institution honoured him with International Film & TV Club membership for his outstanding contribution to the Hollywood Film Industry[citation needed]
Influential Canadian Expat Award
- 2009: Awarded "Most Influential Canadian Expat", Canadian Expat Association[24]
Books
- Fox, Michael J. (2002). "Lucky Man: A Memoir" (Document). New York: Hyperion.
{{cite document}}: Unknown parameter|isbn=ignored (help) - Fox, Michael J. (2009). "Always Looking Up: The adventures of an Incurable Optimist" (Document). New York: Hyperion.
{{cite document}}: Unknown parameter|isbn=ignored (help) - Fox, Michael J. (2010). "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned" (Document). New York: Hyperion.
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See also
References
- ^ Michael J. Fox Gets Doctored
- ^ Governor General announces 74 new appointments to the Order of Canada
- ^ Michael J. Fox Biography (1961-)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l James Lipton (host) (2005-10-30). "Michael J. Fox". Inside the Actors Studio. Season 12. Episode 1112. Bravo.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Fox, Michael J. (2003). Lucky Man : A Memoir. Hyperion. pp. 34, 46–47. ISBN0786888741.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|coauthors=and|month=(help) - ^ a b "About Michael", Michael J. Fox biography from michaeljfox.org, accessed on October 31, 2006.
- ^ a b c Reagan's Favorite Sitcom: How Family Ties spawned a conservative hero
- ^ Fox, Michael J. (2002). Lucky Man: A Memoir. Hyperion. pp. 81–2. ISBN 0786867647.
- ^ Putting His Own Spin on City's Season Finale
- ^ Shales, Tom. "Michael J. Fox, Playing 'Spin City' to a Fare-Thee-Well." Washington Post, May 24, 2000, C1.
- ^ "Casualties of War Review". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ "Michael J. Fox Becomes American Citizen," from IMDb, accessed on October 28, 2006.
- ^ 'It's the gift that keeps on taking' - The Guardian, published 2009-4-11, retrieved 2009-6-29.
- ^ a b "Fresh Air" interview by Terry Gross" National Public Radio, April 2002.
- ^ "Brain implant better than meds for Parkinson's disease". CNN. January 6, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ Excerpt from Lucky Man, Chapter 8: Unwrapping the Gift. From michaeljfox.org, accessed on February 08, 2010.
- ^ The Michael J. Fox Effect October 26, 2006, U. S. News and World Report.
- ^ http://www.celebrityonlinenews.com/Celebrities/Michael-J-Fox/index.html?imagestart=8&videostart=0
- ^ Abrahamson, Håkan (March 5, 2010). "Michael J Fox hedersdoktor på KI". Ny Teknik (in Swedish). Retrieved March 13, 2010.
- ^ http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=411f8372-c535-49fc-bf38-2145f5e5cb7c
- ^ "Canada's Walk of Fame: Michael J. Fox, actor". Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ "Michael J. Fox Receives Honorary Doctorate From NYU". Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ "UBC Archives — Honorary Degrees Citations 2008". Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ "Michael J. Fox recognized as Most Influential Canadian Expat".
External links
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Template:Tv.com person
- FRONTLINE: Interview with Michael J. Fox Fox's perspective on living with Parkinson's. Posted Jan. 29. 2009
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Actors from Alberta
- Actors from British Columbia
- American film actors
- American health activists
- American people of Canadian descent
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- Canadian child actors
- Canadian expatriate actors in the United States
- Canadian film actors
- Canadian immigrants to the United States
- Canadian television actors
- Canadian voice actors
- Canadian vegetarians
- Grammy Award winners
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- Officers of the Order of Canada
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Edmonton
- People from North Bay, Ontario
- People self-identifying as alcoholics
- People with Parkinson's disease