Biography
Canadian-American actor. He was one of five kids, the son of a Canadian
army officer so the family moved often. His first goal was to play hockey
until he racked up 56 facial stitches from injuries in hockey and other
adventures.
While still in school, he decided to try acting. He gained his first
credits at age 15 in a Canadian series, "Leo and Me," and at 18,
dropped out of high school and moved to Hollywood. At that time he added
the J. to his name to distinguish himself from another actor named Michael
Fox. His youthful appearance led to his debut in a Disney stinker called
"Midnight Madness." He had several good TV credits by 1981, a
good start, but he then hit a dry period. He was out of work and $30,000
in debt before he won the role of Alex in "Family Ties," which
ran from 1982-89 and became a big hit. In November 1986, he was an Emmy
winner, quipping with exuberance, "I feel four feet tall!"
His movie "Back to the Future," 1985, was number one box
office hit and by 1987 he was pulling in $2 million a picture, with two
sequels to "Future" in 1989 and 1990. He was getting some 500
pieces of fan mail a week by then. Other successes included "Teen
Wolf," 1985, "The Secret of My Success," 1987,
"Casualties of War," 1989, "Doc Hollywood," 1991.
During the mid-'90s he had something of a down period with a several
flops, such as "The Hard Way", 1991, "Life With Mikey,"
1993, "For Love or Money," 1993, and "Greedy," 1994.
His best work during this period was in "The American
President," 1995.
Actually five feet four inches tall, purely charismatic, he comes
across with wit and sensitivity, beloved by the audience. The series
"Spin City" premiered in 1996 and quickly became one of ABC's
viewer favorites. Fox married Tracy Pollan on 7/16/1988 at a country inn
in Arlington, VT; their son Sam Michael was born 5/31/1989 and twin girls,
Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances were born 2/15/1995. Fox has also
started to study the required curriculum for becoming a U.S. citizen. He
is quoted, "I pay a lot of taxes and I'd like to say where they go,
and I'd like to be able to vote on my children's issues and things that
will affect them."
In 1991, while on the set of "Doc Hollywood," Fox noticed a
tremor in his left pinkie finger; within six months it had spread to much
of his left hand and his shoulder was achy and stiff. A neurologist
diagnosed his condition as Parkinson's, a progressive degeneration of the
central nervous system that is characterized by tremors and muscle
stiffening including facial rigidity. For seven years he was able to keep
his condition a private matter, but in 1998 he announced his disease
publicly. While appearing at the Golden Globe ceremony on TV, he stood
with his hands behind him, or with his hand in his pockets, and usually is
able to function well under medication. In March 1998, he had a four-hour
brain surgery in an attempt to halt or slow the handicap and it almost
completely eliminated his most serious symptom, a shaking of his left arm
so violent that, Fox said, "I could mix a margarita in five
seconds."
Of the one million Americans stricken with Parkinson's, only 10 percent
occur in those under the age of 40. Fox has no family history or any
medical situation to make him susceptible, and it is particularly ironic
that a man who looks so youthful has a disease that is associated with
older people. His doctor is hopeful that he has another good ten years or
more of being able to function well. He saves his difficult times for home
and takes medication before going out, becoming a master of concealment.
He'll do fewer sight stunts on "Spin City" but can still deliver
as funny a line as ever. He may not be able to play hockey as he loves to
do, but he can still read science books to his son Sam and take delight in
watching his three-year old twins play dress-up.
Fox finally decided to leave the weekly pressure of "Spin
City" to spend more time with his family and working toward a cure
for Parkinson's. He taped his final episode on 3/17/2000, a show that will
air on 5/24/2000.
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For More Information:
Astro-Challenge:
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AstroDatabank. They include Salvador Dali, Deng Xiao Ping, Pope John Paul
II, Jean Renoir, Mohamed Ali and other notables. Download and study these
charts, and find the common themes among them that might lead us to an AstroSignature for Parkinson's
disease.
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