Michael J. Fox is the antithesis of a nepo baby.
The award-winning actor, born in Canada to blue-collar parents, recalls struggling to make ends meet before making it in Hollywood.
“I was living on the margins. I was 18 years old, with no money, no connections, literally dumpster diving for food,” he told PvNew in a lengthy profile published Thursday.
Fox, 61, was raised in Vancouver by dad William, a former Army sergeant-turned-police dispatcher, and mom Phyllis, a payroll clerk.
Soon after he began participating in school plays — mostly to meet girls — he realized he was “more talented than a lot of people,” so he dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
“I knew that if I wanted to be someone, I couldn’t just sit on my parents’ porch and think, ‘Boy, if I was only born in the States and my parents had money and weren’t living paycheck to paycheck, I could do something with my life,'” he said.
Despite many failed auditions and forgettable roles, Fox’s self-confidence never wavered.
In fact, he still remembers being around numerous actors on the set of the 1980 teen comedy “Midnight Madness” — his first feature film — and thinking to himself, “‘Why is this going to work for me and not for them?'”
“It’s not that I wished them unhappiness or bad luck — I wished them all the success in the world,” he explained. “But I knew I was going to make it. God knows why.”
Two years later, Fox landed his career-defining role on “Family Ties.” He quickly became the NBC sitcom’s breakout star, which is how he got cast in the 1985 blockbuster hit “Back to the Future” and its two back-to-back sequels.
But in 1991, at 29 years old, he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s and given 10 more years to work.
“It’s such a s–tty disease,” he lamented. “I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to deal with it. It didn’t fit my story. I just shut down.”
Fox did his best to keep the worsening physical symptoms — including tremors, balance issues and impaired coordination — under wraps until going public with his illness in 1998.
In spite of his doctors’ prediction, his acting career continued to flourish until he retired in 2020.
“I’ve won more awards and had more nominations since I announced my diagnosis,” he made sure to note. “It may be that people feel bad for me, but I prefer to look at it as an acknowledgment for continuing to have a legitimate career.”
Additionally, the father of four — who’s been married to wife Tracy Pollan for nearly 25 years — has helped raise more than $1 billion for Parkinson’s research via his titular foundation. He’s also written four books.
When lauded as a “hero” for all he’s accomplished, Fox responded, “It’s just a nice way of people letting me know they are moved by my acceptance of things and by the way that I’ve tried to make a difference.
“But no matter how much I sit here and talk to you about how I’ve philosophically accepted it and taken its weight,” he went on. “Parkinson’s is still kicking my ass. I won’t win at this. I will lose. But there’s plenty to be gained in the loss.”
