Micheal J Fox

A man of great admiration is the actor Michael J Fox. He was born on June 9th 1961 in Edmonton Alberta. The Fox family moved several times brining Michael to cities such as Chilliwack and Burnaby. Michael founded his ties to Vancouver by settling and growing up in Burnaby at age 5. Michael’s passion for acting began at age 15 with the assistance of his drama class instructor. He landed a role on the small screen and started to consider it as a career. His career started to accelerate when he got to play a role on an American TV movie called Letters From Frank. Many Hollywood studios became aware of his talent, which led to Michael leaving high school for California to pursue his dreams. Michael is well known for his role in “Family ties” prior to landing this role he had considered returning to Vancouver because he had been going through some tough times. In 1991 Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for which he had to go through brain surgery. In 1999 he had decided it was time to reveal his illness since there was a possibility he could pass away. What makes Michael remarkable is though he was sick he decided to leave his show and raise awareness and money for Parkinson’s disease. Leaving his show also gave him more time to spend with his family. He was a man who gained respect and support from all of Hollywood. In 2000 he initiated the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to find a cure to the disease. He was an admiration to many in Hollywood because regardless of his battle with the disease he was a successful individual, winning numerous Emmys and Global Globe’s. In addition to the above accomplishments he is an author of three bestselling books and has obtained many honorary degrees from schools such as University of British Columbia and New York University. His most recent achievement that is closely attached to Vancouver was receiving a Doctors of Law from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. His ties in Vancouver will remain for years to pass by a theater named in his honor. It can be proudly stated he was a resident of Vancouver for reasons beyond his successful acting career and it is evident his hard work will not go unnoticed.