'Family Ties': Where Are They Now?

Michael J. Fox (Alex P. Keaton)

Michael J. Fox was just 18 years old when he left his native Canada and moved to Hollywood to try to make it big. After an 11-episode run on the short-lived show "Palmerstown, U.S.A.," Fox got his big break.

He quickly became the breakout star on "Family Ties," playing the Ronald Reagan-loving young Republican Alex P. Keaton. Not only did the part earn him five Emmy nominations and three back-to-back wins, but ... more 

Michael J. Fox (Alex P. Keaton)

Michael J. Fox was just 18 years old when he left his native Canada and moved to Hollywood to try to make it big. After an 11-episode run on the short-lived show "Palmerstown, U.S.A.," Fox got his big break.

He quickly became the breakout star on "Family Ties," playing the Ronald Reagan-loving young Republican Alex P. Keaton. Not only did the part earn him five Emmy nominations and three back-to-back wins, but it helped him score the lead role of Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" film franchise.

Seven years after "Family Ties" ended, Fox captured lightning in a bottle a second time with another hit sitcom called "Spin City." But during the show's fourth season, Fox announced that he had contracted Parkinson's disease years earlier and would be taking time off to focus on his family. He did, however, go on to have recurring roles on the series "Boston Legal" and "Rescue Me."

In 2012, he garnered two Emmy nods for his guest appearances on the comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and the drama "The Good Wife." Fox lost in both categories, but odds are there are more statues in his future. He'll be back on NBC with a new sitcom loosely based on his life in the fall of 2013.

During the run of "Family Ties," Fox met his future wife, Tracy Pollan. They married in 1988 and have four kids. In 2000, he established the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is focused on finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. less