Michael J. Fox By Michaela Gautieri Book by, John Wukovits

Introduction Born on June 9, 1961 Born in Edmonton, Alberta (a Canadian Province) He is a famous actor. I chose Michael J. Fox because I like the Back To The Future series and The Secret of My Success.

Childhood He was the fourth of five kids, one brother and three sisters. His sisters were Karen, Jacki, and Kelli and his brother’s name was Steve. His father, William, was a sergeant in the Canadian army for 25 years. After he was finished in the army he became a police officer. His mother, Phyllis, stayed at home all day raising their kids. Their family was very close and spent every night at the dinner table, what he called the oldest form of theater, talking about everyone’s day. Most of the time they all ended up acting out activities that happened in their day. His brother, Steve, liked to make a lot of jokes. They moved a lot because of his dad’s job and made friends pretty easily by playing together at recess. Some places they’ve lived were Chilliwack, British Colombia, and Ontario. Since Michael J. Fox was very short( His father stood 5’ 7’’, and his mother stood 5’1’’), he was picked last for sports a lot. His determination, not letting his height stop him, proved them wrong. When he was in the fifth grade, they stopped moving and settled in Burnaby, a suburb in Vancouver, British Colombia. This is where he discovered his love for acting and he still considers this home.

Adolescence In the Fall of 1975, when he was 13 years old, he entered Burnaby Central High School and, like other teens, fumbled through life, hoping to excel at sports or in the classroom, wanting to be noticed by his peers… Especially the girls. He was very athletic and played hockey for as long as he could remember. He hoped to eventually join the revered professional National Hockey League. He pursued this goal into high school and he faced the harsh reality that he wasn’t as good as the bigger, more muscular skaters, or as tall as them. He figured his height was a disadvantage for sports. He had read somewhere that a heavy appetite caused a person to grow so, no dessert, no fruit, and no meat was too fattening for his taste. He gained weight until he was 140 pounds without growing an inch. He also didn’t date because, “I just wasn’t very confident in myself.” he said. Writing, drawing, and making music replaced the sense of accomplishment he had in hockey. He drew and wrote a lot but, but not as much as he made music. Most of the time he played his guitar and him and some friends formed a band called Halex, and played songs of Canadian rock-and-roll bands like Bachman Turner, Overdrive, and Guess Who. When he was fifteen years old, he signed for the weekly series, Leo and Me. It premiered in 1976 and lasted 13 weeks. He also performed in The Shadow Box and Letters From Frank. In 1979, when he turned 18, he dropped out of high school and went to Hollywood.

Adulthood When Michael J. Fox became an actor he changed his middle initial from A to J because there was already a Michael A. Fox and he wanted to avoid confusion. He also didn’t want people to think he made it Michael “a fox” for the girls. He chose the J because he liked the work of the actor, Michael J. Pollard, because he is a great actor and he is very short(he played Clyde in the movie, Bonnie and Clyde). After a few weeks in Hollywood, he got the role of a younger brother o a college guy in the Disney movie, Midnight Madness. After the movie came out, he got the role of Willie-Joe Hall on Palmerstown U.S.A.. The show lasted for two seasons. Michael J. Fox appeared on shows such as, Lou Grant, Night Court, and Trapper John M.D. He earned a lot of money from his success but, before thinking, he kept on spending. His father told him, “When things are going well, it is like a banquet, and they’ll sit you down and feed you and entertain you and you’ll have a great time. But you have to be aware that at any point, you could become the main course. In 1982, he appeared in Class of 1984 and normally, that would lead to a third and fourth film but, instead, he lost work and gained weight. Since he has spent each paycheck, rather than save a portion, he found himself with 30 thousand dollars worth of credit card debt and an angry landlord looking for the monthly rent. He sold his sports car and his elegant furniture piece by piece. He only had one 3-piece couch left in his apartment, even then he had to sell two of the tree pieces. All that was left was the armless middle piece. He also had to move to a small apartment above a garage and eat macaroni and cheese everyday. He finally got the role of Alex P. Keaton on the show, Family Ties. It was the job that brought him out of his financial debt. In the December, 1989 issue of People magazine, he announced his illness of Parkinson's disease.

Timeline Michael Andrew Fox was born in Edmonton, Canada He acts in the Canadian television series Leo and Me He appeared in the television movie Letters from Frank 1979 He left Burnaby to establish a film career in Hollywood, California Michael gets the role of Alex P. Keaton that takes him out of financial difficulties Fox stars in the television movie High School U.S.A 1986 He receives his first Emmy as Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Fox undergoes brain surgery, called a Thalmotomy, in March to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s Fox leaves the series Spin City to devote more time to family and battling his illness.

Contributions Michael J. Fox announced his illness of Parkinson's disease in the December 1998 issue of People magazine. He doesn’t just ignore the fact that he has the disease, he deals with it. He received the Hollywood Women Press Club’s Male Discovery of the Year award. He received this in 1985 after the movies, Back to the Future and Teen Wolf came out. He received his fist Emmy as Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Interesting Story The most interesting story I learned about Michael J. Fox is how at one time in his life he was overweight, unemployed, and financially struggling. It was even more difficult that this all happened at the same time. Since he didn’t have very much money, even after he sold EVERYTHING, he had to eat Macaroni and Cheese everyday of every week.

Questionnsssss. 1.Was it hard being overweight and poor? 2.Did you ever think about giving up looking for a job? 3.What was your favorite movie or TV show you were in?

Bibliography!