Michael J. Fox makes rare appearance to celebrate 'Back to the Future' 40th anniversary

USA Today

3 days ago

Forty years after "Back to the Future's" release, Michael J. Fox isn't done delighting fans.
The Emmy-winning actor, 64, on Aug. 10 attended a Southampton, New York, IMAX screening of the film that jump started his career on the big screen.
The crowd at the sold-out stayed afterward for his conversation with Southampton Playhouse's artistic director, Eric Kohn, with topics ranging from the twists in Fox's life and career over the past four decades – including his life with Parkinson's disease – to his work with his Michael J. Fox Foundation.
"Michael's insights into his relationship to acting, and how it changed — first via blockbuster success and then through his diagnosis — made for a conversation that was by turns emotional, endearing, and inspirational," Kohn wrote in an Aug. 12 Instagram post.
The Oscar-winning film from Robert Zemeckis was made on a $19 million budget and released in theaters on July 3, 1985. It went on to earn $224 million at the worldwide box office and has since become a Hollywood classic, even getting inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2007.
Fox reprised his role as teen Marty McFly, alongside Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, in two more "Back to the Future" movies.
Lloyd, 86, has also continued to appear in films and TV shows, most recently the second season of "Wednesday" and "Hacks." He made a rare public appearance alongside wife Lisa Loiacono at the Hollywood premiere of his latest project, the Bob Odenkirk-starring "Nobody 2," on Aug. 11.
A 'tsunami of misfortune' Michael J. Fox talks broken bones due to Parkinson's symptoms
Michael J. Fox doesn't 'fear' death
Since publicly revealing his Parkinson's diagnosis in 1998 – seven years after his diagnosis – Fox has continued to act in Hollywood while also advocating for and funding Parkinson's research through his foundation.
In January, President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom as he "warms hearts and captivates audiences as a fearless advocate for those with Parkinson's disease."
The fastest-growing neurodegenerative condition in the U.S., Parkinson's is an incurable brain disorder, a progressive disease "that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination," according to the National Institute on Aging.
Over the years, Fox has sustained multiple broken bones, including both arms, his shoulder, his orbital bone and cheek and his hand, which resulted in a serious infection.
Fox combats his symptoms, such as paralysis of his facial muscles, through medication and trains to preserve his ambulatory skills.
"One day I'll run out of gas," Fox told Town & Country magazine in 2023. "One day I'll just say, 'It's not going to happen. I'm not going out today.' If that comes, I'll allow myself that.
"Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn't be unheard of. And so, no, I don't fear that."