Birth name: Michael Andrew Fox
Born: June 9, 1961
Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Education:
High school in Vancouver (dropped out)

That name does look familiar, where might i have seen Michael J. Fox?
He is probably best known for playing Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990) and Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties (1982–1989), for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and Mike Flaherty from Spin City (1996–2000), for which he won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards; Stuart little.

Early life:
Michael J. Fox was born Michael Andrew Fox in 1961 to parents William and Phyllis in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. He was the fourth of five children, having one brother and three sisters (Kelli, Karen, Jacki and Steven). When Michael was five, the family settled in Burnaby, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver when William Fox as sergeant in the Canadian Army Signal Corps retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1971. This is where Michael J. Fox grew up.

Like most Canadian kids, Fox loved hockey and dreamed of a career in the National Hockey League. As a youngster, Michael's passion was ice hockey. He played an aggressive, fearless game and made the PeeWee and Junior leagues. In his teens this interests expanded, unfortunately while his friends grew into the sport, Michael never grew large enough to become a serious contender for professional hockey. He began experimenting with creative writing and art and played guitar in a succession of rock-and-roll garage bands before ultimately realizing his affinity for acting.

While in school, he participated in drama class, but at the time didn't consider going into acting professionally. However, Ross Jones, his drama teacher saw great potential in Michael and suggested that he should try out for a local television show entitled, "Leo and Me." He knew that CBC were looking for a ten-year-old boy to play the part of "Jamie" in a new series and persuaded the casting agency to test Michael. At first, they didn't want to audition a 15-year-old, stating that he would not be able to pass as a boy five years younger. The drama teacher told them the Michael was small for his age and would pass. Eventually, they agreed to see him and when Michael auditioned, passed with flying colours and the studio snapped him up. His short stature and boyish looks helped him win the role of Jamie Romano, the nephew of an Italian con-artist.

The studio became Michael's second home during the time that "Leo and Me" was being filmed and Michael became completely hooked on showbusiness. From the minute he got his first pay packet, he told his parents he was going to quit school and act full time.

Career:
He had a series of bit parts, including one in CBS' short-lived Alex Haley/Norman Lear series Palmerstown USA, before winning the role of lovable conservative Alex P. Keaton on NBC's enormously popular Family Ties (1982-89). During Michaels seven years on Ties, he earned three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, making him one of the country's most prominent young actors.

Michael J. Fox returned to series television in 1996 with ABC's Spin City, portraying Michael Flaherty, New York's deputy mayor. He won critical praise, garnering three Golden Globe Awards, one Emmy Award, three Emmy nominations, a GQ Man-of-the-Year Award (in the TV comedy category), a People's Choice Award, and two SAG Awards. During his time on the show, shot entirely in New York City, Michael did everything from galloping bareback through Central Park to jumping into the Hudson River. He also served as executive producer, along with Gary David Goldberg, Bill Lawrence, David Rosenthal, and producer/director Andy Cadiff.

Spin City reunited Michael J. Fox with Family Ties creator/executive producer Gary David Goldberg. Together with Bill Lawrence, Goldberg created the series expressly for Michael, establishing it as a joint venture of DreamworksSKG, Goldberg's UBU Productions, and Lottery Hill Entertainment (run by Michael and partner Danelle Black). Goldberg served as co-executive producer with Michael for Spin City's first and second seasons, and Lawrence stepped in during the third. For the fourth seasons, Rosenthal and Cadiff shared duties with Michael..

Michael J. Fox shot to movie stardom in the mid 1980s with his leading role as time traveller Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy of films. His other notable films included Teen Wolf (1985), The Secret of My Succe$s (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), Doc Hollywood (1991), The Hard Way (1991), For Love or Money (1993) or The Concierge in some countries , Life With Mikey (1993), Greedy (1994), The American President (1995), and Mars Attacks! (1996). His last major film role was in The Frighteners (1996).

Personal life:
Fox married his Family Ties co-star, actress Tracy Pollan on 16 July 1988, at West Mountain Inn in Arlington, VT. The couple have four children: Samuel Michael (born May 30, 1989), twins Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances (born February 15, 1995), and Esmé Annabelle (born November 3, 2001). Fox holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship
In 1994, Michael finally "finished" High School! He took and passed his GED. As a graduation gift, David Letterman brought him a car!!

Michael lives in New York. He also owns a ranch house in Connecticut and a beach house in Long Beach, California. The family normally holiday at Martha's Vineyard, an island just off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The J in Michael J. fox:
As he explained in his autobiography, Lucky Man, he needed to come up with a different name. He did not like the sound of "Andrew" or "Andy" Fox. He decided against using his middle initial because he didn't want to fit into a Canadian stereotype, as in Michael "Eh?" Fox, and because he did not want teen fan magazines referring to him as "Michael, A Fox!". He decided to adopt a new middle initial and settled on "J" as an homage to legendary character actor Michael J. Pollard. Sometimes he jokes that the J stands for "Jenius" or "Jenuine".

Fight against Parkinson's disease.:
Though he would not share the news with the public for another seven years, Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991. Upon disclosing his condition in 1998, he committed himself to the campaign for increased Parkinson's research. Fox announced his retirement from Spin City in January 2000, effective upon the completion of his fourth season and 100th episode. He was very positive about his illness and emphasized that although the disease had slowed him down, it didn't mean that he was going away.
During the second season of "Spin City" Michael made the announcement. The final episode where one of the best swansong ever made - expressing pride in the show, its talented cast, writers, and creative team. He explained that new priorities made this the right time to step away from the demands of a weekly series.

Michael realized that he could have a positive impact and started a foundation for finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease called The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research. He also testified before the Senate Approprations committee.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that ultimately renders some patients unable to walk, talk or take care of themselves. Other patients are able to manage their symptoms for many years without becoming disabled.
An estimated 1 million Americans - including Attorney General Janet Reno and former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali - suffer from the disease, which has no known cause and no cure.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is fighting parkinson disease. Your contribution directly supports promising Parkinson's research and helps ensure that high-impact research avenues are thoroughly funded and explored.

Please join the fight today.