Michael J. Fox has recently opened up about his health struggles…
Fox is best known for portraying Marty McFly in the hit movie Back to the Future back in 1985.
And its sequels in the following years.
Fox also won 3 Emmy Awards from 1986 to 1988 for his role as Alex P. Keaton on the popular television series Family Ties, where he worked with Tracy Pollan, his future wife.
He later starred in the series Spin City and won another Emmy in 2000, his last year on the show.
Fox then appeared in Casualties of War, The American President, and Mars Attacks!
He also provided the voice of Stuart Little in a series of animated films based on characters from E.B White’s children’s book.
But a health scare earlier on in his career turned the actor’s life upside down.
According to reports, the actor noticed a twitch in his left pinkie, and soon after his doctors told him he had ten more years to work, tops, but that was twenty-one years ago now.
Fox even spoke about it in great depth and said that his “happiness grows in direct proportion [to] my acceptance.”
Fox retired from acting in 2020 but that didn’t stop him from being recognized as a star…
So much so that he was lauded for playing the role of Marty Mcfly in the Back to the Future franchise and has been awarded an Oscar for his humanitarian work.
The news was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy President David Rubin said Fox, along with a select few, will be given the award for their “indelible contributions to cinema and the world at large.”
This kind of award is “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy,” as per the announcement.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of twenty-nine, Fox later set up a Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000.
His foundation has raised over $1 billion for Parkinson’s research over the years, and subsequently, become one of the leading organizations in the battle against the degenerative disease.
Fox’s timeless optimism has won over his fans and followers…
He even told PEOPLE he’s “rocking and rolling,” during a shoot for the publication’s Kindness cover.
Although, he did admit the past year brought many new hurdles in his life…
“It got worse. I broke my cheek, then my hand, then my shoulder, had a replacement shoulder put in and broke my [right] arm, then I broke my elbow. I’m 61 years old, and I’m feeling it a little bit more.
“I was never really a cranky guy, but I got very cranky and short with people,” he said.
“I try to nip it in the bud. I always think of these aides who work with me. And I often say to them, ‘Whatever I say, just imagine I said “please” at the beginning and “thank you” at the end. Just take a second and absorb that I might have said that if I was more myself, but I didn’t, so I apologize,” Fox explained.
He also told the media outlet that he decided to move on after struggling to remember his lines while filming a role on Kiefer Sutherland’s Designated Survivor.Â
“I could look at a page and get it,” he said.
Fox added that Parkinson’s can affect cognition…
“I couldn’t focus on a line. I didn’t beat myself up. I couldn’t do it, so I didn’t do it anymore,” he said.
But that’s not all, Fox admitted how Parkinson’s disease has affected his marriage as well…
“It took me a while to get that it wasn’t just about me,” he said.
Fox admitted: “If I break my arm, I’m dealing with my broken arm. But if you’re the person who lives with and loves and supports the person with the broken arm, you’ve got to do everything.”
He confessed that he finds joy in watching his kids entering adulthood…
“My youngest [children] never knew me without Parkinson’s,” he said.
“Sam was 2 or 3 when I was diagnosed. So they never knew anything else. And there’s a certain latitude you have to give someone who has Parkinson’s. You can choose how nice to be and how much to do — and how much to know not to do. That’s all about empathy.”
And much to fans’ excitement, Fox revealed that he has a new project in the works which includes an AppleTV+ documentary due in 2023.
“It’s about me and many different ways of looking at my life,” he said.
We can’t wait!