Michael J. Fox Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Michael J. Fox Biography

Michael J. Fox, who returns to network series television in 2013 as Mike Henry, a beloved local newscaster and family man who goes back to work following a diagnosis with Parkinson's disease, on NBC's The Michael J. Fox Show, was born Michael Andrew Fox in 1961 to parents William and Phyllis in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta.

Like most Canadian kids, Fox loved hockey and dreamed of a career in the National Hockey League. In his teens, his interests expanded. He began experimenting with creative writing and art and played guitar in a succession of rock-and-roll garage bands before ultimately realizing his affinity for acting. Fox debuted as a professional actor at 15, co-starring in the sitcom Leo and Me on Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) with future Tony Award-winner Brent Carver. Over the next three years, he juggled local theater and TV work and landed a few roles in American TV movies shooting in Canada.

When he was 18, Fox moved to Los Angeles. He had a series of bit parts, including one in CBS' short-lived (yet critically acclaimed) Alex Haley/Norman Lear series Palmerstown USA before winning the role of lovable conservative Alex P. Keaton on NBC's enormously popular Family Ties (1982-89). During Fox's seven years on Ties, he earned three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, making him one of the country's most prominent young actors.

Spin City reunited Fox with Family Ties creator/executive producer Gary David Goldberg. Together with Bill Lawrence, Goldberg created the series expressly for Fox, establishing it as a joint venture of Dreamworks SKG, Goldberg's UBU Productions, and Lottery Hill Entertainment (run by Fox and partner Nelle Fortenberry). Goldberg served as co-executive producer with Fox for Spin City's first and second seasons, and Lawrence stepped in during the third.

In other television work, Fox starred in Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water in 1994. He directed Teri Garr and Bruno Kirby in an episode of Tales From the Crypt and later directed an installment of the series Brooklyn Bridge.

Fox also had time during his busy TV work to become an international film star, appearing in over a dozen features showcasing his keen ability to shift between comedy and drama. These include the Back to the Future trilogy, The Hard Way, Doc Hollywood, The Secret of My Success, Bright Lights, Big City, Light of Day, Teen Wolf, Casualties of War, Life With Mikey, For Love or Money, The American President, Greedy, The Frighteners, and Mars Attacks!

Fox married his Family Ties co-star, actress Tracy Pollan, in 1988. Together they have four children. Inspired to find projects that his kids would enjoy, Fox has lent his voice to a variety of hit children's films since the early 1990s.

Though he would not share the news with the public for another seven years, Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991. Upon disclosing his condition in 1998, he committed himself to the campaign for increased Parkinson's research. Fox announced his retirement from Spin City in January 2000, effective upon the completion of his fourth season and 100th episode. Later that year he launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Today the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson's drug development in the world, the Foundation has galvanized the search for a cure for Parkinson's disease, and Fox is widely admired for his tireless work as a patient advocate.

In 2012 Fox announced his plans to return to full-time acting, speaking publicly about finding a drug cocktail that has helped him control the symptoms and side effects of his Parkinson's disease well enough to play a character with PD. While the announcement may have upended public expectations, Fox has always remained in demand as an actor. He is the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards for accomplishments in acting, including the 2011 Hoerzu Magazine Golden Camera Award and the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award.

Fox also is the bestselling author of three books. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, a compendium of wisdom for graduates, was published in April 2010. Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, published in April 2009, debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. It was accompanied by an ABC-TV prime time special that was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special; additionally, its audio recording by Fox won the 2010 Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Album, an honor for which all three books were nominated. His first book, the 2002 memoir Lucky Man, also was a New York Times and national bestseller.

Fox is the recipient of honorary degrees from The Karolinska Institute in Sweden, New York University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and the University of British Columbia. He also has received numerous humanitarian awards for his work and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010.

Fox has spoken and written extensively about his predisposition to look at challenges, including his Parkinson's disease, through a lens of optimism and humor. His message has always been one of gratitude for the support he has received from his fellow Parkinson's patients.

Michael J. Fox's website

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