Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox (1961) is a Canadian-born actor, best known for his roles as Alex P. Keaton in the TV series Family Ties (1982-1989) and as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy. He also played Mike Flaherty in the television series Spin City.


British postcard by Holmes McDougall Ltd, Edinburgh, Scotland, no. PC240. Photo: Minerva, 1987.


Italian postcard by Vittorius, Roma, no. VR 501.


British postcard by Just Seventeen. Photo: Mark Hanauer. Caption: One of a set of four postcards from Just Seventeen - Britain's brightest weekly girl's magazine.

The time-travelling teen Marty McFly

Michael J. Fox is the stage name of Michael Andrew Fox, who was born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1961. His parents are Phyllis Fox (née Piper), a payroll clerk, and William Fox. They moved their 10-year-old son, his three sisters, Kelli, Karen, and Jacki, and his brother Steven, to Vancouver, British Columbia, after his father, a sergeant in the Canadian Army Signal Corps, retired. During these years Michael developed his desire to act.

Fox uses 'J.' as the second initial, in homage to actor Michael J. Pollard. He did not choose 'Michael A. Fox", as this could possibly be associated with arrogance (a fox). His first role was at the age of twelve in the popular drama series The Beachcombers (1973) about the adventures of a professional lumber salvager and his friends in British Columbia. At 15 he successfully auditioned for the role of a 10-year-old in a series called Leo and Me (1978). At 18 he moved to Los Angeles and he was surviving on boxes of macaroni and cheese until he was able to get his green card. His first role in a film was in Letters From Frank (Edward Parone, 1979) starring Art Carney.

Things started breaking for Fox in 1980, when he won a regular role on the weekly series Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980-1981) and a supporting part in the theatrical film Midnight Madness (Michael Nankin, David Wechter, 1980). At 5'4" (163 cm), the baby-faced Fox was able to play adolescents and teenagers well into his twenties; during the early stages of his career, however, his height lost him as many roles as he won. In 1982, Fox rose to fame in the television long-running sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), in which he played Alex P. Keaton, the conservative, college-educated son of a hippie-era couple. He was only chosen after Matthew Broderick, who was originally considered for the role, refused to have a long-term television obligation. Before the series ran its course, Fox had won three Emmys, one of them for an unforgettable "one-man show" in which his character soliloquized over the suicide of a close friend.

In 1982, he made a splash in the cinemas with Class of 1984 (Mark L. Lester, 1982), a mix between Dangerous Minds and A Clockwork Orange, starring Perry King. He also starred in the feature films High School U.S.A. (Rod Amateau, 1983), Teen Wolf (Rod Daniel, 1985) and Poison Ivy (Larry Elikann, 1985). His real breakthrough came with his role as the time-travelling teen Marty McFly in Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985), in which he starred with Christopher Lloyd. The role of Marty McFly was initially intended for Eric Stoltz because Fox was shooting Family Ties. But during the shoot, filmmakers found Stolz unsuitable for the role and asked Fox for the role.

Back to the Future (1985) was an enormous hit which spawned two sequels, Back to the Future Part II (Robert Zemeckis, 1989) and Back to the Future Part III (Robert Zemeckis, 1990). Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "Not all of Fox's subsequent movie projects were so successful -- although several of them, notably The Secret of My Success (Herbert Ross, 1987) and Casualties of War (Brian De Palma, 1989), were commendable efforts that expanded Fox's range. In later years, the actor seemed to be having difficulty finding the vehicle that would put him back on top, although he continued to keep busy."


Spanish postcard by Rovensa. Photo: CB Films. Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf (Rod Daniel, 1985). Caption (flip side): Tu seras mi lobo! (You will be my wolf!).


Vintage postcard.


Vintage postcard. Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985).


Dutch collectors card.

Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

In the fall of 1996, Michael J. Fox returned to television in the ABC sitcom Spin City (1996-2001), of which he was also a co-producer. He starred in the series as Michael Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York City. That same year, he could also be seen in the films Mars Attacks! (Tim Burton, 1996) with Jack Nicholson and The Frighteners (Peter Jackson, 1996).

In 1998, Fox revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. When filming Doc Hollywood (Michael Caton-Jones, 1991), he noticed his finger twitching and was unable to control it. He then saw a doctor and was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Due to his Parkinson's disease, he often hid his left hand in his pocket during his run on Spin City.

In 1999, he lent his talents to another wee character, voicing the title role of Stuart Little (Rob Minkoff, 1999), the film adaptation of E.B. White's beloved children's book about a walking, talking mouse. In 2000, he decided to retire as an actor and was succeeded in Spin City by Charlie Sheen. Since then, Fox has been a fundraiser for stem cell research. He believes that this technique can help cure neurological diseases in the future.

In the following decades, he was mainly a voice actor in animated films, including Stuart Little 2 (Rob Minkoff, 2002). In 2006, he had a guest role in several episodes of the series Boston Legal, which earned him an Emmy nomination. In 2011 and 2017, he starred 'as himself' in the series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Thanks to the new medication, he was able to act again. In 2013 he starred in the comedy television series, The Michael J. Fox Show, based on his own life. He also appeared in the popular TV series The Good Wife (2010-2016) starring Julianne Margulies.

Fox wrote four autobiographical books about his experiences with early-onset Parkinson's disease: 'Lucky Man: A Memoir' (2002), 'Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist' (2009), 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned' (2010), and 'No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality' (2020). In these books, he candidly recounts his life before and after the diagnosis and how the initially difficult time turned into a very important period in his life. Since 1988, Michael J. Fox has been married to Tracy Pollan, whom he met on the set of Family Ties. Together they have four children.


German collectors card by Bravo.


Spanish postcard by Papellini, Barcelona, no. 026. Photo: ACI.


French postcard, no. SL 4077.


British postcard by Box Office, no. BOPC 3035. Photo: Deborah Feingold. Caption: March 12th, 1987.

Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Wikipedia (Dutch) and IMDb.

This post was last updated in 8 March 2024.