Michael J. Fox turns 62 years old today, and fans of the Back to the Future and Teen Wolf star are celebrating him on social media today. The star, whose life is the subject of the recent Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, remains one of the most beloved stars in Hollywood history, more than 30 years after the Back to the Future trilogy that made him a household name. In addition to his work in Hollywood, Fox has become the most famous Parkinson’s patient in the world since he announced his diagnosis back in 1998.
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The actor and philanthropist announced his retirement from acting in 2020, 30 years after his initial diagnosis and 20 years later than his doctor estimated he would be able to keep working. He has been fairly open about his health challenges since 1998, writing books and giving interviews, as well as founding a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s and to continue working toward a cure.
In April, the Michael J. Fox Foundation announced a breakthrough in Parkinson’s diagnosis and testing.
“There are many ways I am involved with the work of the Foundation, but I come to this result first and foremost as a Parkinson’s patient,” Fox said at the time. “I am deeply moved by this breakthrough and endlessly grateful to the researchers, study participants and funders who have endeavored to bring us this far. When we started PPMI, we weren’t casting about for fish — we were going after a whale. Now, here we are. Together we are making a cure for Parkinson’s inevitable.”
When Fox announced his diagnosis in 1998, he was heading up Spin City, the long-running sitcom from Scrubs and Ted Lasso showrunner Bill Lawrence. In 2001, he stepped away from that show, effectively replaced by Charlie Sheen, but continued to work for almost 20 years after that (although he slowed down significantly).
“I’m down to this,” Fox told People of writing the book back in 2021. “My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and acting is getting tougher to do. So it’s down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it.”
You can see some of the reactions below.
