Michael J. Fox has spoken candidly about returning to acting and the challenges Parkinson’s disease has created, including its impact on his ability to learn and remember dialogue.
The 65-year-old actor, who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at 29 in 1991, said he came out of retirement earlier than he had anticipated after finding a role in Shrinking that enabled him to simply ‘show up on set’ as himself.
Fox initially retired from acting in 2000, two years after he publicly revealed his diagnosis. He later made cameo appearances in television shows including Scrubs and The Good Wife, before stepping away from acting again in 2020.
Explaining why he made that decision, the acclaimed actor told People, ‘A new variable emerged: my ability to memorize lines.
‘There’s a time for everything, and the time for 12-hour workdays was behind me.’
Earlier this year, Fox joined the Harrison Ford-led Apple TV series Shrinking for its third season.
Michael J. Fox, 65, said he returned to acting sooner than expected because his role in Shrinking allowed him to ‘show up on set’ as himself
The actor received an early-onset Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 1991, when he was 29
The Apple TV comedy was created by Fox’s friend Bill Lawrence. Fox said the part gave him the freedom to ‘use how I feel on any given day and channel it into the scene.’
In Shrinking, he plays Gerry, who forms a friendship with Ford’s Dr. Paul Rhoades as Paul navigates his own Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Fox was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category, as the late Rob Reiner was announced as the winner over the weekend.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 29 while filming Doc Hollywood, after experiencing a sore shoulder.
The actor went public with his diagnosis in 1998.
Fox previously worked with Shrinking’s co-creator Lawrence on ABC’s Spin City. However, he left after season four in 2000 after his Parkinson’s symptoms worsened.
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The dad-of-four also featured in a two-episode arc on Scrubs, another Lawrence-led series, where he played a genius doctor with severe OCD.
Fox has said the disease prompted him to largely retire from acting, devoting more time to spending time with his family and working for his foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds research and the search for a Parkinson’s disease cure
Shrinking was created by Fox’s pal Bill Lawrence, as Fox said he enjoyed having the freedom to ‘use how I feel on any given day and channel it into the scene.’ Above, with Harrison Ford
Fox previously worked with Lawrence on ABC’s Spin City. However, he left after season four in 2000, after his Parkinson’s symptoms worsened (above, in 1999)
Fox first retired in 2000, three years after publicly sharing his diagnosis. He did make several cameos on the television series Scrubs and The Good Wife (above) before being forced to take a break from acting again in 2020
Most famously, Fox starred as teenager Marty McFly in the science fiction movie Back to the Future in 1985 (above), as well as in the sequels Back to the Future Part II (in 1989) and Back to the Future III (in 1990)
Most famously, Fox starred as teenager Marty McFly in the science fiction movie Back to the Future in 1985, as well as in the sequels Back to the Future Part II (in 1989) and Back to the Future III (in 1990).
He played Alex P Keaton on Family Ties from 1982 until 1989.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes the impairment and death of nerve cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates body movements.
Without dopamine, patients have balance issues, tremors throughout the body, stiff limbs, and slow movement.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, roughly 90,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease every year, and 10 to 20 percent are under age 50.
Experts are still unsure what causes Parkinson’s disease, though evidence suggests that genetic factors and environmental triggers like exposure to strong chemicals and pesticides could be to blame.
In younger patients, a family history of the disease may play a role, according to the Michael J Fox Foundation.