Michael J Fox has said acting has “prolonged my life” following his Parkinson’s diagnosis, as he reflected on living with the condition for more than three decades.
The 65-year-old actor, best known for playing Marty McFly in the Back To The Future trilogy, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991, a year after Back To The Future Part III was released.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox said acting had given him purpose, even though he has stepped back from the profession.
“It’s really prolonged my life and made my life interesting in a way that I didn’t think it would be to this point,” he said.
“I’m not retired from acting, but if I didn’t act again, it would be for a very good reason. I let Parkinson’s make decisions for me.”
Fox also spoke about overcoming his initial reluctance to publicly discuss his diagnosis, saying he realised it was important to “normalise” the condition.
He recalled anonymously joining online chat rooms for people with Parkinson’s after revealing his diagnosis and asking members what they thought of the celebrity who had gone public.
The responses ranged from supportive to celebratory.
“I thought, ‘Well, f*** you, I have Parkinson’s and you’re celebrating,’” he said.
Fox first noticed a tremor in his little finger before being diagnosed at the age of 29. Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition, has since had a significant impact on his mobility and he has spoken previously about suffering broken bones after a number of falls.
He has also been open about the effect the condition has had on his memory, including the challenges it created when learning dialogue for acting roles.
In 2000, Fox founded the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has raised more than two billion US dollars for research into the disease.
In 2023, he was the subject of the Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which explored his life and career, as well as the impact Parkinson’s has had on him.
Alongside the Back To The Future films, Fox is also known for roles in Teen Wolf, Doc Hollywood and the television comedy Spin City.