In 1985, Canada’s second-favourite Fox was the star of both the top-rated TV show and the two biggest blockbusters, and his face was on the cover of every magazine. For a while, he embodied the Hollywood dream—until his body turned on him. But the 63-year-old hasn’t let Parkinson’s slow him down . He’s starred in hit TV shows, written four books and raised four kids with his wife, Tracy Pollan—proving that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
Own your talent When Fox hit it big as an actor, he considered himself lucky, not particularly talented. “I was comfortable with the idea that I had won the lottery, and that made me less respectful of what talent I had,” he once said. But soon there was no denying he had something others didn’t. When he was cast as Alex P.
Be the change Before Fox went public with his diagnosis in 1998, Parkinson’s was largely considered a disease afflicting the elderly, and research into causes and cures was underfunded. “People were naked in their thirst for somebody to come and help,” he once said—and having an international star like Fox brought hope to the Parkinson’s community. In 2000, he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has since raised more than US$1 billion for Parkinson’s research.