Before “Back to the Future” and Parkinson’s disease: what Michael J. Fox looked like in his prime as a star

As is often the case in acting, everything in Michael’s life was decided by chance, or even a whole chain of events (not always successful for Fox himself) that eventually led him to success.

He first became interested in acting out of desperation when his dreams of a sports career were definitively destroyed. Born in Canada, Michael loved hockey, seriously loved this sport and connected his future with it, dreaming of how he would throw pucks into the goal with the roar of the stadium. But, unfortunately, Michael’s height was 164 centimeters, and there was no need to talk about any prospects in this sport. Resigned to this blow of fate, Fox decided to try his hand at acting.

And oh wonder! The height that kept him from becoming an NHL star became his set-piece pass. Michael got his first role precisely because of his small size and the fact that he always looked younger than his age – he was 15 years old when he was entrusted to play a character who, according to the script, was 10 years old. boy. It was a role in the CBC series Leo and Me. And if he went to the audition simply to fill the void in his life after the failure in hockey, then after the end of filming, Michael was one hundred percent sure that he wanted to become an actor.

Fox decided to leave his native Canada and set out to conquer Hollywood. Like any aspiring actor, Michael soon became convinced that this “dream factory” could face the harshest reality. Of course, Fox was just one of those who suffered to get roles, and he did not have particularly impressive external data, so offers did not fall on him like a cornucopia.

Fox tried to hide his short stature and gained weight, after which he had to lose it again. There was never enough money to live in Los Angeles, the actor was drowning in debt and almost resigned to defeat and was ready to return home when the long-awaited call finally rang.

Michael was drafted to star as young Republican Alex P. Keaton in the television series Family Ties, which premiered in 1982 and ran for seven seasons. The job went to Fox because Matthew Broderick, who was originally cast in the role, was unable to make the show.

Participation in “Family Ties” was an acting breakthrough for Michael. Almost from the first episodes, he was talked about as almost the main star of the series. The show broke all ratings records and Fox won three Emmys and a Golden Globe during its run.

Thanks to the success of the series, Michael then got the lead role in the sci-fi film Back to the Future, which became the leader at the box office in 1985. The role of Marty McFly, a teenager who falls into the past, brought the actor worldwide fame – with this image we associate Fox today, although the last film of the trilogy was released in 1990.

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