Michael J. Fox on ABC

Interviewee: Michael J. Fox

Interviewer: George Stephanopoulos

Date: 29 October 2006

For an American actor just 5′4″ tall, Michael J. Fox was once a bankable movie and television talent. He once leveraged his diminutiveness and boy-next-door appeal to play teenage roles although he was already in his 20s back then.

From the outset, Michael J. Fox’s acting has been a staple in television. At 15, he appeared on CBC’s Leo and Me in his native Vancouver. In the US, he made his first outing on CBS’ Palmerstown, U.S.A. But it was his turn as Alex P. Keaton on the Golden Globe Award-winning sitcom Family Ties that changed him into a TV idol and gave him three Emmy Awards.

Upon the release of Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future in 1985 and its two sequels, Fox, who played teen time traveler Marty McFly, became a household name internationally. He sustained his matinee star status in other jaunts as Teen Wolf and The Secret of My Success. His last movies were the horror caper The Frighteners and the alien invasion spoof Mars Attacks!

Hereafter, Michael J. Fox limited his movie roles to voicing animated characters, most notably the white mouse of the blockbuster Stuart Little films. He also lent his vocals for Atlantis: The Lost Empire, years after doing the same for Homeward Bound.

In 1996, ABC reinstated him in television as New York City’s Deputy Mayor on Spin City, reuniting him with Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg. He took home an Emmy along with three Golden Globe Awards for this.

However in 2000, he left the show, and acting altogether, due to his worsening health. Since 1991, Michael J. Fox has been down with Parkinson’s disease, a condition he only revealed to the public in 1998.The actor put up the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which facilitates research on finding a cure for the affliction.

In this interview, Michael J Fox retaliates against Rush Limbaugh’s insinuations about his health.

For additional information about Michael J. Fox, see the following:

Actor and Producer, Michael J. Fox’s profile is featured on IMDb.

Michael J. Fox is featured in an article on the online publication AskMen.com.

Michael J. Fox is featured in an article by Esquire Magazine.