Born Michael Andrew Fox in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he adopted the "J" as an homage to character actor Michael J. Pollard. Moving several times during the course of his childhood, Michael and his family settled in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver. At the age of 15 he made his professional acting debut in the situation comedy Leo and Me.

Moving to Los Angeles at the age of 18, Fox appeared in several small parts and a television series, Palmerstown, U.S.A., before landing the role that would bring him to prominence in Family Ties. Some of his other films include Bright Lights, Big City, The Hard Way, Light of Day, Doc Hollywood and the three "Back to the Future" films.


Greedy (1994): $5,000,000

Revealed in the 7 December 1998 issue of People magazine that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991. Mother is actress Phyllis Fox. Owned a black Ferrari Mondial coupe. [1987] Has forbidden any of his kids to quit high school for Hollywood, demanding that they at least finish high school and maybe attend 1-2 years of college. Is a vegetarian. Was not the first choice to play Alex P. Keaton on "Family Ties" (1982). He was only chosen after Matthew Broderick, who was originally considered for the role, refused to have a long-term TV obligation. When filming Doc Hollywood (1991), he noticed his finger twitching. He was unable to control it. He then saw a doctor and was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Has a theatre named after him located in his hometown of Burnaby, B.C., Canada. Received his first guitar for christmas when he was 8. He taught himself how to play. Received his Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star on December 16th 2002. NBC President Brandon Tartikoff didn't initially like him because he couldn't see his face looking good on a lunch box. Ironically, Fox did not allow this type of marketing when "Family Ties" (1982) became popular. Accidentally injured co-star James Woods's finger on the set of The Hard Way (1991). Woods was throwing him into a popcorn machine when his finger got caught in the button hole of Fox's jacket and dislocated it. Announced he is leaving "Spin City" (1996) because of Parkinson's disease. [January 2000] Has four children with Tracy Pollan; Sam Michael Fox (born May 30, 1989), twins Aquinnah Kathleen Fox and Schuyler Frances Fox (born February 15, 1995) and Esme Annabelle Fox (born November 3, 2001). There is a pub in London, Ontario called "The Alex P. Keaton" in honor of his character on "Family Ties" (1982). Due to his suffering from Parkinson's Disease, during his run on "Spin City" (1996), he often hid his left hand in his pocket. His best-known roles, Alex Keaton and Marty McFly, both contain numerous references to Ronald Reagan. Alex Keaton is a conservative Republican whose hero is Ronald Reagan. In Back to the Future (1985), Marty informs an incredulous Doc Brown that Ronald Reagan, the actor, becomes the President of the United States. In Back to the Future Part II (1989), Marty goes into the Cafe 80s, which is "hosted" by a computer-generated video image of President Reagan. In Back to the Future Part III (1990), Michael almost got to work with Reagan himself. By this time Reagan's second term was drawing to a close, if not already over, so director Robert Zemeckis offered him the role of the 1885 mayor of Hill Valley (which may have been in reference to Reagan's first public office, that of Governor of California). Reagan declined. Went to the same school as Bryan Adams during the 1970s. Having both American and Canadian passports, he also lived near the Nantucket Bay area of the Eastern U.S. In 1982, appeared on the first episode of the Peter Marshall wish-fulfilling show "Fantasy" (1982). Marshall mentioned that Fox was a great fan of James Cagney, then drew Fox's attention to a video screen. Cagney appeared in a taped statement, telling Fox "Keep a-goin'!" This brought tears to Fox's eyes. Marshall then announced that Cagney had personally selected Fox to play him in a developing biopic about the legendary actor. Fox was overwhelmed with joy, but sadly, the film never got made. Met his wife, Tracy Pollan, on his television show "Family Ties" (1982). Received an honorary doctor of laws degree on May 22nd 2008 from the University of British Columbia. Michael J Fox was invited by Sandeep Marwah President AAFT to visit the Asian Academy Of Film and TV in film city Noida India to interact with film and acting students. As he revealed in his autobiography "Lucky Man", he happened to be sitting right next to Princess Diana at the world premiere of Back to the Future (1985). Longtime friend of Denis Leary. They both share a love of hockey. Had a relationship with Claudia Wells, his girlfriend in _Back to the Future (1985)_. Fox was a supporter of then-candidate Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election. He says in "Always Looking Up" that on Election Day, he went to vote wearing a t-shirt reading "Barack to the Future" that a friend had made for him; the shirt's words and design were both references to Fox's famous role in the "Back to the Future" movies. In 2010, he was given an honorary doctorate by Sweden's Karolinska Institute, the same organization that awards the Nobel Prize in medicine. The honor was given in recognition of his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson's disease.