What to know
- Iconic Canadian-American actor and activist Michael J. Fox was honoured with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 78th Emmy Awards.
- He briefly came out of retirement, appearing in the Apple TV+ comedy series, Shrinking, earning an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.
- Fox is perhaps best known for his role as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy.
Canadian-American actor and activist Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 78th Emmys.
At Monday night’s ceremony, he was introduced as “a proud son of Canada” by actress Julianna Margulies, who previously starred with Fox on the legal drama, The Good Wife.
Fox briefly came out of retirement this year, appearing in the Apple TV+ show, Shrinking. His role earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
The Television Academy honoured the actor for his “transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy.”
The Michael J. Fox Foundation was founded by Fox and Deborah W. Brooks in 2000 to find treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s Disease, which Fox was diagnosed with in 1991. To date, the foundation has raised over $3 billion dollars and is the world’s largest non-profit dedicated to Parkinson’s research.
“Initially, I kept my Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret. I worried it would affect my work and my relationship with audiences. Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?” Fox said in his acceptance speech.
“I was stunned by the support I got. Support from all of you who’s so uplifting and made me feel like I can keep doing this, that I hadn’t lost what I do, and it couldn’t take it away from me. And it’s because you stood up for me. And I appreciate it.”
Fox continued, highlighting his advocacy work with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. “Eventually, I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it. It just meant doing what I could for everyone living with this disease. So I set out to advocate for patients’ needs and raise money and to propel us towards a cure.”
The actor also shouted out Bob Hope, who spent over 80 years as a trailblazing actor, comedian, and entertainer. He spent 50 years performing for troops all over the world in United Service Organizations (USO) tours.
“To [my parents], Bob was more than an entertainer, he was a selfless champion of soldiers and military families like mine for decades.”
“He embodied everything I came to believe in years later. I learned from his example. When it starts to get tough, you show up, you help. And if you can add a little joy while you’re doing it, that’s even better.”
Fox was born in Edmonton and lived in Burnaby, B.C. as a teenager. He is perhaps best known for starring as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy from 1985 to 1990.
