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Michael J. Fox, renowned for his acting prowess, continues to captivate audiences.
On March 1, the 32nd Annual Actor Awards, previously known as the SAG Awards, unfolded with much fanfare. Before Kristen Bell charmed the audience with a lively opening monologue, selected SAG-AFTRA attendees shared their classic “I Am An Actor” narratives.
The event began with Kristen Wiig, followed by Teyana Taylor, Delroy Lindo, and Kate Hudson, who reminisced about her early days in acting. However, it was Michael J. Fox who garnered the most enthusiastic applause. This award-winning actor, accomplished author, and staunch Parkinson’s disease advocate, revealed his diagnosis back in 1991 when he was just 29.
Reflecting on his journey, Fox recounted, “After leaving school and moving from Canada to Los Angeles to pursue acting, a teacher once told me, ‘Fox, you’re not gonna be cute forever.’ Unsure how to respond, I said, ‘Maybe just long enough, sir.’ Following a few challenging years in LA, I landed a role on Family Ties, which gifted me the most significant opportunity of my career: meeting my wife, Tracy Pollan, who played Ellen, my on-screen girlfriend. Together, we’ve been blessed with four children: Skylar, Aquinnah, Esmé, and Sam. I often joke that without acting, they wouldn’t exist.”
With a nod to his son Sam, seated beside him, Fox added, “By the way, he’s not an actor. Just my date. My name is Michael J. Fox, and I’m a dad. And I’m an actor.” Truly, an unforgettable icon!
Fox recently came out of retirement to guest star on Shrinking Season 3 and reunite with co-creator and close pal Bill Lawrence, who he collaborated with on Spin City and Scrubs. As Season 3 shows Paul’s (Harrison Ford) Parkinson’s symptoms progress, he befriends Fox’s character Gerry, a Parkinson’s patient whose disease is further along than Shrinking‘s resident grumpy therapist. In true Shrinking fashion, Gerry’s humor still remained in tact, which allowed Fox to brilliantly flex his comedic chops.
“I just want to I want to tell you this. There is no one better. Michael J. Fox has the best timing of any comedic actor that I’ve ever worked with,” Shrinking‘s Christa Miller told DECIDER over Zoom.
“A lot of us stayed around afterwards just to watch [his scenes]. Michael and I have had these careers where when I was at Paramount, he was at Paramount. Family Ties and Happy Days. And I would see him all over the place, but never really had a chance to sit down and talk to him,” Shrinking‘s Ted McGinley told Decider. “They’ve raised $2 billion in 25 years for the Parkinson’s Foundation. Michael J. Fox has done that. I mean, he is a force. I have infinite respect for him. So many people across the world are going to benefit because Michael had Parkinson’s. He’s so generous.”
The booming applause made it incredibly clear how joyous Fox’s fellow actors were to have him in the room, and his presence is even more special since his Shrinking co-star Ford is being honored with the Life Achievement Award. Two living legends sharing a special night together? We absolutely love to see it.
The 32nd Annual Actor Awards stream live Sunday, March 1, on Netflix.