With Back to the Future, young Michael J. Fox became one of the most popular actor of the 80s. He was also able to score hits in the 90s with films like Doc Hollywood and series like Chaos City. But during this time the actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood held a mirror up to Michael J. Fox
His Parkinson’s disease was a devastating blow to Michael J. Fox. For a long time he thought an accident on the set of Back to the Future III was responsible for his condition. In his memoirs Comeback: Parkinson will not win * he wrote in detail about his illness and his will to continue working.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Michael J. Fox talked about his career and the reason why he really ended his career. The actor continued to work with Parkinson’s for many years, with some success. The His last major role was in the series Good Wife around ten years ago. He starred as recurring character Louis Canning and received five Emmy nominations for the role. He loved the part.
The reason Fox continued to work through his illness was his memory. He was proud that he could still memorize a script instantly – until one day he couldn’t anymore. He mentioned one to Empire Parallel 2019 in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino:
There’s a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can’t remember his lines. He goes back to his dressing room and screams at himself in the mirror. Simply insane. I had this moment. I looked in the mirror and couldn’t remember.
Even though Michael J. Fox has given up his career as an actor in major leading roles, he has not yet said goodbye to the public eye. In 2023, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a documentary about the actor, was released on Apple TV+, offering fans many great insights into his life and career.
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