Michael J. Fox: a story of overcoming hardship

Recently, Apple TV released the documentary 'STILL: The Story of Michael J. Fox'. It shows the day-to-day of the actor as he deals with Parkinson's disease. When he got the diagnosis, the actor was in his prime: just 29 years old.

Michael J. Fox is mostly remembered for his role in the NBC sitcom 'Family Ties' and for the film trilogy 'Back to the Future.' Click further to learn how he rose to fame and then dealt with a terrible health blow.

Michael Andrew Fox was born in Edmonton, Canada on June 9, 1961. He is the fourth of five children. His father, William Fox, worked for the Canadian Armed Forces, while his mother, Phyllis Fox, worked in an office.

His stage name came about when Michael went to register with the Actors Union and discovered that there was already a Michael Fox. The actor didn't like the sound of Michael A. Fox, so he replaced the 'A' with the 'J,' in honor of actor Michael J. Pollard.

Michael started acting when he was 16, but from 1977 to 1981 he only got a few roles in series episodes, including 'The Magic Lie' (1977), 'Lou Grant' (1979) and 'Leo and Me' (1981).

In 1982, Michael J. Fox's first major role on television arrived with the character Alex P. Keaton in the sitcom 'Family Ties.' He continued in this popular role until 1989 and became a cultural phenomenon of the 1980s.

Michael J. Fox achieved fame despite the different contemporary trends of Hollywood. At that time, his profile was nothing like that of the big stars, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or Bruce Willis.

Brandon Tartikoff (photo), president of NBC, initially didn't see Fox as a star in 'Family Ties.' He even commented that Michael J. Fox's face would never be seen on a children's lunch box.

Luckily, they didn't listen to Brandon Tartikoff, because a few weeks after the premiere of 'Family Ties', the face of Michael J. Fox was not only seen on lunchboxes but also on posters, t-shirts, magazines, and everywhere else!

Still, Michael Fox is not a spiteful person. To prove it, he didn't just become good friends with Tartikoff but he also gifted him a lunchbox with his face stamped on it. A little joke to demonstrate that the early criticism was water under the bridge.

Photo: Michael J. Fox and Brandon Tartikoff (center), at a Hollywood restaurant in 1986.

In 1985, the actor reached international fame in the role of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future,' a film that became a great classic of science fiction and a success at the box office around the world.

Fox consolidated his Hollywood status with the second and third installments of 'Back to the Future' in 1989 and 1990. He was at the prime of his career at that point, even though he didn't realize it at the time.

Michael J. Fox had met the love of his life, actress Tracy Pollan, on the set of 'Family Ties'. Tracy played the character Ellen Reed in the series.

The couple exchanged their vows at the altar in 1988 and had four children: Sam (1989), twins Aquinnah and Schuyler (1995), and Esmé (2001). Since then, Michael and Tracy have been inseparable, and the actress has never stopped being by his side, even in the most difficult moments.

In 1990, when Michael was just 29 years old, the actor went to the doctor because he felt a very strong tremor in his index finger. Soon, he discovered that this was one of the first symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

On 'Sunday Today' with Willie Geist, Michael J. Fox recalled the moment when he broke the news to Tracy Pollan: "We didn't know what to expect. One of the things I'll always love Tracy for is that at that moment, she didn't blink. It's really great to have a partner. She's there in the front lines with me every single day."

Initially, Michael's reaction was to fight the disease in private, hiding it from the public. Doctors had told him that they doubted his career as an actor would last more than a decade.

Parkinson's disease is degenerative, without a cure, and it affects 4 million people around the world. Its diagnosis usually appears in old age, which is why Michael's case was so delicate. The main symptoms of the illness are tremors, slowness of movement, balance problems, and stiffness.

However, even with the symptoms becoming more and more evident, Michael J. Fox continued to work. He starred in films such as 'Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey' (1993), 'Greedy' (1994), 'Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco' (1996), 'Mars Attacks!' (1996), and 'Stuart Little' (1999).

In 1996, Michael J. Fox returned to television with the series 'Spin City', where he played Mike Flaherty, until 2000. At that time, the actor was taking a lot of medication, such as dopamine, to try to control the symptoms. However, during the third season of the series, he was no longer able to hide his secret.

In 1998, Michael J. Fox revealed to the public that he had Parkinson's disease. He also wrote an autobiography to tell his story. In 2000, after winning an Emmy award and three Golden Globes, he announced that he was leaving the cast of 'Spin City'.

Since then, the actor has become a great activist. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, created the same year he made his condition public, has already raised more than 1 billion dollars.

Even while trying his best and always trying to be positive, Fox knows the harsh reality of his condition. He said on 'Sunday Today' that he often thinks about death and that he knows he won't make it up to 80 years old.

Still, Michael doesn't want people to feel sorry for him. In fact, he often jokes about his own illness. In the series 'The Good Wife', where he played Louis Canning from 2010 to 2015, he even made a point of taking the victim status out of characters with disabilities.

"It's funny because ... any representation of characters with disabilities on television [tends] to be sentimental with soft piano music playing in the background," he told 'Sunday Today,' "and I wanted to prove that disabled people can be ***holes too."

In 2019, Michael J. Fox retired from acting. He returned to the screen with the Apple documentary about his life. It leaves yet more proof that no illness can define someone and that he will always be a great actor.