Michael J. Fox movies: 12 greatest films ranked worst to best [PHOTOS]
It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s memorable — a supporting character in a TV series breaks out to such a degree that he changes the entire direction of the series. Fonzie on “Happy Days” is one example; “J.J.” on “Good Times” another. But few have had the cultural impact of cocky conservative teen Alex P. Keaton whose dynamism completely upended the direction of the 1980s NBC sitcom “Family Ties.” Designed as a “hip parents/square kids” show with an emphasis on the parents, Alex wound up becoming the character who popped with audiences, largely thanks to sharp writing by series creator Gary David Goldberg and the comic skill of young Canadian actor Michael J. Fox. Critics, audiences and the Television Academy responded strongly to Fox’s work, rewarding the actor with five Emmy nominations for the role in the 1980s, including three consecutive wins as Best Comedy Actor.
Unlike many breakout sitcom stars, however Fox was able to able to segue to a successful film career, smashing that barrier with his first feature lead as Marty McFly in Robert Zemeckis‘ sci-fi classic “Back to the Future,” an enormous hit that became the highest-grossing film of 1985. Though Fox went on to star in a number of successful romantic comedies, he also proved to be adept in any number of genres — war films, gritty dramas, political satires and even horror (Peter Jackson‘s 1996 “The Frighteners”).
It was shortly after the release of “The Frighteners” that Fox’s early-onset Parkinson’s Disease prompted him to withdraw from on-camera film work, allowing him to focus instead on his successful new sitcom “Spin City.” But as Fox recalls in the acclaimed 2023 documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox Story,” he had to hide his shaking hands from his cast and crew until he decided to go public with his condition in 1998. Since then, Fox has become a vocal advocate for people living with Parkinson’s and has established The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the goal of which is to advance research into discovering the cure for this degenerative disease. In 2022, Fox received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Motion Picture Academy for his humanitarian work toward finding that cure.
To celebrate the great Fox, let’s raise a glass and celebrate by ranking and counting down his 12 best film performances from worst to best in the photo gallery above.
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