Beloved for his iconic performance asBack To The FutureheroMarty McFly , and his courage and kindly efforts on behalf of Parkinson ’s disease research , Michael J. Fox is that rarest of Hollywood image — someone that nobody has a bad word to say about .
From his breakout function as adolescent Republican Alex P. Keaton onFamily Ties , Fox built up a vocation as amovie starand the trail on another successful sitcom , Spin City . He afterward canalize his renown into prove enormous amounts of money for Parkinson’sdiseaseresearch follow his own diagnosing three decennium ago . All that , and the 60 - something actor hardly search a day over 35 . Maybe he reallydoeshave a time machine .
1. TheJ.in Michael J. Fox doesn’t stand for anything.
Fox ’s middle name is Andrew , and he was credited in his first Canadian playacting roles just as “ Michael Fox . ” But when he make a motion to the U.S. and joined the Screen Actors ’ Guild , he had to exchange his name because there was already an actor name Michael Fox ( who , coincidently , starred in multiple episodes ofScience Fiction Theatre , George McFly ’s best-loved goggle box show inBack To The Future ) . He was disquieted that “ Michael A. Fox ” would be misinterpreted as either boastful of his own handsomeness or as a Riffian on the Canadian interjection “ eh , ” so he opted for aJ. The choice was part in homage toBonnie and Clydestar Michael J. Pollard .
Fox and hisBack To The Futuredad Crispin Glover both worked on the 1983 TV movieHigh School USA , also asterisk Todd Bridges and Anthony Edwards . While he and Gloverhaven’t spoken sinceBTTF , Fox remains very close friends with Christopher Lloyd , who play Doc Brown . subsequently in his career , Fox enjoyed bringing back former co - stars — his directorial launching on anepisodeofTales from the Cryptco - starredBTTF ’s Principal Strickland , James Tolkan;Spin Cityfeatured show fromFamily Tiesalumni Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter ; andThe Michael J. Fox Showfeatured guest appearances from Lloyd andSpin Citycolleague Richard Kind .
3. His height was an issue for at least one network executive.
At 5 feet , 4 inches marvellous , Fox ’s height almost derail his calling before it had really begun . NBC president Brandon Tartikoff insisted Fox was too poor to play Alex P. Keaton ( Michael Gross , who act as his father , is 6 - foot-4 - inches ) onFamily Ties . Show creator Gary David Goldberg stuck up for him , saying , “ see , all I screw is this : I institutionalise the kid out with two prank and he institute me back five joke . ”
Around the same time , the shoot agenda ofBack To The Futureincluded reshooting multiple scenes which had already been shot with 5 - foot-11 - inchEric Stoltz make for Marty . Even stab of an arms reaching in from off - filmdom had to be redone . Perhaps to acknowledge these snafu , Fox ’s second memoir was titledAlways look Up , both a reference to his unending optimism and his stature .
Foxwas a exquisite guitaristuntil the symptoms of Parkinson ’s disease got in the way , and is rumor to have once try out to play bass in the Canadian hard rock band Helix . But his carrying into action of “ Johnny B. Goode ” inBack To The Futurestill assume him weeks of preparation . He worked with guitar player Paul Hanson to perfect his finger positioning and choreographer Brad Jeffries for his overexcited stage moves . Fox lip - synced to vocal perform by an uncredited Mark Campbell of the band Jack Mack and the Heart Attack .
5. He was afraid of being pigeonholed.
Across the threeBack To The Futuremovies , Fox played Marty McFly at ages 17 and 47 , as well as his son Marty Jr. , daughter Marlene , and great - great - grandfather Seamus . He also voiced an adult William McFly — Seamus ’s son and Marty ’s great - grandfather , seen as a infant in the third film — inBack To The time to come : The Game . Over the years he also revived the use of Marty for various skit and cameo appearances onJimmy Kimmel Live , ina Spike TV promo , and inLil Nas X’sHolidayvideo .
7. Fox has battled Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years.
Fox was diagnosed with early - onslaught Parkinson ’s disease at the age of 29 in 1991 , while filmingDoc Hollywood . He went public with it in 1998 , establishing theMichael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson ’s Research , which to appointment hasraised over $ 1 billion . Fox has draw the unwellness as “ the gift that hold on pickings , ” yet credits some of the happiness of his personal life with the choices his condition force him to make . “ I do n’t know that I would have the family that I have now , the animation I have , the sense of purpose , if none of this had encounter , ” he toldThe Guardianin 2020 . ( While the causes of Parkinson ’s disease are not sleep together , researchers theorize that genetic and environmental factor are in all likelihood involve . ) In November 2022 , Fox ’s charitable effort were recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award .
