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PROFILE

2025 April 23, 24

Level: Med

Michael J. Fox

by Pamela Osment

How one of the biggest stars of the 1980s manages a life-changing disease

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Actor Michael J. Fox received the shock of his life at the height of his career. The upsetting news initiated a battle he could never have anticipated.

  Michael’s life began in 1961 in Alberta, Canada. One of five siblings, he was always small, which led to problems at school. He was constantly bullied but learned to use humor to calm situations — a skill that would serve him well in later years.

  Not until Michael joined his school drama club did he begin to fit in. Then at 15, he made his professional acting debut in a Canadian TV series. A couple of years later his parents let him quit school and move to Los Angeles to become an actor. Over the next few years, he endured plenty of auditions and rejections. But Michael hit pay dirt when he won the role of Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties, which became a top-ranked TV comedy. Next up was a starring role in Back to the Future — the award-winning film that would catapult the young actor to widespread fame! While in his 20s, Fox completed seven seasons of Family Ties, made 10 movies and married actress Tracy Pollan.