Film and television luminary Michael J. Fox, who rose to prominence in the 1980s via roles on the NBC sitcom “Family Ties” and the cult classic time travel movie “Back to the Future,” doesn’t believe actors are as talented today as they were back then.
Reflecting on his illustrious career for People’s 50th Anniversary special issue, the 62-year-old shared his perspective on the evolution of Hollywood over the past four decades.
“There’s an expression that I referred to when they gave me an honorary Academy Award; somebody said to me the day before [that] they were talking about getting this award and being famous, and they said, ‘You’re ’80s famous.‘ And I thought, ’Wow, that’s cool. ‘80s famous. Right, we were tougher, we were tougher,’” he recalled.
“We didn’t have social media, we didn’t have any of that [expletive]. We were just famous, left to our own resources. And, um, it was an amazing time,” he said.
When asked if he thought gaining stardom in the ‘80s was harder, the award-winning actor replied, “You had to be talented—that helped.”
He continued: “We used to bust ... our acting muscles and watch other actors and sit around with other actors and talk about acting and talk about it.
An ‘80s Icon
Born on June 9, 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Mr. Fox made his television acting debut when he was 16, starring in the Canadian sitcom “Leo and Me,” which premiered in January 1971.After moving to Los Angeles in 1979, the then-budding actor went on to land a slew of roles in movies and telefilms like “Midnight Madness” (1980) and “Trouble in High Timber Country” (1980), as well as various television shows, including “Family,” “Here’s Boomer,” and “Palmerstown, U.S.A.”
Mr. Fox landed his breakthrough role in 1982, portraying the character Alex P. Keaton on “Family Ties,” which aired for seven seasons until its conclusion in 1989.
The actor garnered multiple awards for his role on the popular television sitcom, including three consecutive Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series” in 1986, 1987, and 1988, as well as a Golden Globe in 1989 for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy.”
Mr. Fox’s first big movie break came in 1985 when he played teenager Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.” That same year, he starred in the coming-of-age comedy flick “Teen Wolf” before playing the lead in 1987’s comedy film “The Secret of My Success.”
Parkinson’s Diagnosis
The “Spin City” star—who shares four children with his wife of 35 years, actress Tracy Pollan—was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, a diagnosis he went on to publicly share seven years later.According to the Mayo Clinic, the progressive neurodegenerative disease affects the central nervous system, causing uncontrollable movements, including shaking or tremors, impaired coordination, and trouble speaking. Dementia often arises in the later stages of the brain disorder, which is currently incurable.
The average age for diagnosis is around 60 years old, although Parkinson’s can develop in people younger than 40, albeit rarely, per Johns Hopkins Medicine. Mr. Fox was 29 at the time of his diagnosis.
“We wanted to find a way that we can diagnose the disease before the symptoms are there. Because then we could treat it, and you'd never have it. It was a big break—and a great moment,” he added.
In 1998, when the actor first revealed his diagnosis, his doctor remained “hopeful” that Mr. Fox would be “functional for at least another 10 years and maybe well into old age.”
Now, having lived with the debilitating disease for more than three decades, Mr. Fox told the publication in its special issue that he believes a person’s life can be great regardless of their circumstances—so long as they manage to maintain a positive outlook.
“What I believed then and what I believe now, I might not put it in the same words, but you can do anything. Anything,” he shared.
“You don’t have to follow other people’s prognostications for what life is going to be. Life’s going to be what you make it,” he declared.
