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Michael J. Fox made a rare appearance at the 2026 Actor Awards on March 1, where he shared how becoming an actor changed his life.
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Michael J. Fox doesn't need the DeLorean for a look back at the past.
After all, the Back to the Future star reflected on how becoming an actor changed his life in a rare appearance during the 2026 Actor Awards "I Am an Actor" segment on March 1.
"I moved from Canada to L.A. to try and make it as an actor," Michael explained from his table at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. "A teacher of mine told me, 'Fox, you're not gonna be cute forever.' I didn't know what to say to that, so I said, 'Maybe just long enough, sir.'"
"After a few years of dumpster diving in L.A., I ended up on Family Ties," he continued, "where I received the biggest gift of my career. I met my wife Tracy Pollan, who played Ellen, my girlfriend. And she gave me four gifts: our kids, Schuyler, Aquinnah, Esmé and Sam." (See all the winners at the Actor Awards here.)
So, for the 64-year-old—whose Parkinson's diagnosis has progressed since his initial diagnosis in 1991—it was his role on the sitcom from 1982 to 1989 that changed everything for him.
"Sometimes I like to remind them that if it wasn't for acting, they wouldn't be here," he added. "I'm Michael J. Fox and a dad and I'm an actor."
Despite Michael's love for acting, he previously shared insight into his decision to step away from his career as his health continued to deteriorate.
Netflix
"I continued to act for almost 30 years after I was diagnosed," he explained to AARP Magazine in 2021. "I reached the point where I couldn't rely on my ability to speak on any given day, which meant I couldn't act comfortably at all anymore. So, last year I gave it up."
But he is always open to returning in front of the camera for the right project.
"If someone offers me a part and I do it and I have a good time, great," he told Entertainment Tonight in April 2024. "I would do acting if something came up that I could put my realities into it, my challenges, if I could figure it out."
For a closer look at all the stars at the 2026 Actor Awards, keep reading.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Calista Flockhart & Harrison Ford
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Timothée Chalamet
in Prada.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Mindy Kaling
in Yara Shoemaker.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Jenna Ortega
in Christian Cowan.
Frazer Harrison/WireImage
Sterling K. Brown
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Tyler, The Creator
Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images
Natsha Rothwell
in Naeem Kahn and Mindi Mond jewelry.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Aimee Lou Wood
in custom Versace and Jimmy Choo shoes.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Emma Stone
in custom Louis Vuitton.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Paul Mescal
in Saint Laurent.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Sarah Paulson
in Saint Laurent.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Connor Storrie
in Saint Laurent.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Gwyneth Paltrow
in Givenchy and Belperron jewelry.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Teyana Taylor
in Thom Browne and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Kate Hudson
in Valentino and Desert diamonds from Emily P. Wheeler.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Jessie Buckley
in Balenciaga and Jessica McCormack jewelry.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Leslie Bibb & Sam Rockwell
in Ashi Studio (Bibb).
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Delroy Lindo & Nashormeh N.R. Lindo
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Matthew Rhys & Keri Russell
in Louis Vuitton (Russell).
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Fran Drescher
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Ryan Coogler & Zinzi Coogler
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Viola Davis
in custom Gucci and Pasquale Bruni jewelry.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Molly Sims & Scott Stuber
John Salangsang/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Jeremy Allen White
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Rhea Seehorn
in Louis Vuitton.
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Charlie Hunnam
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Jason Bateman & Amanda Anka
Tommaso Boddi/WWD via Getty Images
Lauren Miller Rogen & Seth Rogen
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Adam Scott & Naomi Scott
in Giorgio Armani (Adam).
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons
in Khaite (Dunst).
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