Biography
With two long-running sitcoms, multiple Emmy Awards and a top-grossing film series to his name, actor Michael J. Fox might have spent the rest of his life at the forefront of Hollywood's A-list, had the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease not limited the actor's screen career. The Canadian actor was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s, first embodying the Reagan-era culture clash with his role as an aspiring yuppie teen on the …
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Career Milestones
| Added middle initial 'J' to his professional name to distinguish him from the other Michael Fox (a much older character actor) | ||
| Formed Snowback Productions with Matt Tolmach | ||
| Raised in Canada | ||
1976 | Made professional acting debut on the CBC series "Leo and Me" | |
1979 | TV-movie acting debut, "Letters From Frank" (CBS); encouraged by Art Carney to pursue acting in Los Angeles, CA | |
1980 | Made TV series debut as a regular on "Palmerstown U.S.A." (CBS) | |
1980 | Made film debut in "Midnight Madness" | |
1982 | Achieved fame as Alex P Keaton, the conservative elder son of two former hippies on popular NBC sitcom "Family Ties" | |
1985 | Feature debut in a leading role, playing Marty McFly in Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future" | |
1986 | Directed first short, "The Iceman Hummeth" for "David Letterman's 2nd Annual Holiday Film Festival" (NBC) | |
1987 | Acted opposite rocker Joan Jett in Paul Schrader's "Light of Day" | |
1988 | Starred as a young Midwesterner whose NYC life is coming apart at the seams in "Bright Lights, Big City" | |
1989 | Delivered fine dramatic turn as the conscience-stricken soldier in Brian De Palma's Vietnam drama "Casualties of War" | |
1989 | Reprised role of Marty McFly in "Back to the Future II" (1989) and "Back to the Future III" (1990), both directed by Zemeckis; also played multiple roles in both sequels | |
1991 | Made TV directorial debut with an episode of HBO's "Tales From the Crypt" | |
1992 | Helmed "Rainy Day" episode of "Brooklyn Bridge" (CBS), re-teaming with executive produce and creator Gary David Goldberg, who worked on "Family Ties" | |
1993 | Played rare supporting turn as a heavy in "Where the River Flows North" | |
1993 | Provided the voice of Chance (the Bulldog) in "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" | |
1994 | Portrayed Alex Magee in ABC movie version of Woody Allen's "Don't Drink the Water" | |
1995 | Appeared in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's improvizational "Blue in the Face" | |
1995 | Delivered dead-on portrayal of advisor to "The American President" | |
1995 | Producing debut, "Coldblooded"; also appeared in a cameo | |
1996 | Joined the all-star cast of Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" | |
1996 | Re-teamed with Zemeckis (this time as executive producer) for Peter Jackson directed feature "The Frighteners" | |
1996 | Reprised Chance for "Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco" | |
1996 | Returned to series TV playing mayoral aide Michael Flaherty on ABC sitcom "Spin City"; also executive produced; announced plans to leave the show in 2001 to concentrate on raising money and awareness for Parkinson's disease; remained on as an executive producer; won an Emmy for his work as an actor in his final season | |
1997 | Re-teamed with director Rob Reiner for the musical comedy special "I Am Your Child" (ABC) | |
1998 | Publicly disclosed his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in an interview with People magazine (November); also revealed he underwent brain surgery to alleviate tremors | |
1999 | Voiced the title character in the feature "Stuart Little"; returned for 2002 sequel "Stuart Little 2" | |
2001 | Provided the voice for the leading explorer in the Disney animated feature "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" | |
2002 | Received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame | |
2003 | Released the bestselling memoir Lucky Man | |
2003 | Wrote and produced the ABC sitcom pilot "Hench at Home" about a forcibly retired pro hockey player's home life | |
2004 | Guest starred on "Scrubs" (NBC) as a surgeon with obsessive-compulsive disorder | |
2006 | Played a business tycoon who suffers from cancer on three episodes of ABC's "Boston Legal"; earned an Emmy nomination | |
2009 | Earned Grammy nomination in Best Spoken Word category for Always Looking Up | |
2009 | Guest starred on "Rescue Me" (FX) as Janet's (Andrea Roth) love interest | |
2009 | Traveled the world and sought out examples of what makes people from different cultures their happiest as host of the one-hour ABC special "Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" | |
2010 | Earned Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word for the album A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To The Future... | |
2011 | Joined cast of CBS' "The Good Wife" as a wily and cynical attorney afflicted with a neurological condition, which he exploits to sway jurors and potential clients | |
Awards
1985 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Back to the Future |
1985 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Family Ties |
1985 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in Family Ties |
1986 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Family Ties |
1986 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Family Ties |
1987 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Family Ties |
1988 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Family Ties |
1988 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Family Ties |
1989 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Family Ties |
1996 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Spin City |
1997 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Spin City |
1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Spin City |
1998 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Spin City |
1998 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Spin City |
1999 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Spin City |
1999 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Spin City |
1999 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series in Spin City |
2000 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in Spin City |
2000 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series in Spin City |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2009 | Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album |
2009 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in Rescue Me |
2009 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special in Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist |
2010 | Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album |
2011 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in The Good Wife |
2012 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Comedy Series in Curb Your Enthusiasm |
2012 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in The Good Wife |