Claim: Michael J. Fox had an illness.

Michael Andrew Fox , OC -LRB- born June 9 , 1961 -RRB- , known professionally as Michael J. Fox , is a Canadian-American actor , author , producer , and activist . With a film and television career spanning from the 1970s , Fox is best known for such roles as Mike Flaherty on the ABC sitcom Spin City -LRB- 1996 -- 2000 -RRB- , for which he won an Emmy , three Golden Globes , and two Screen Actors Guild Awards . Other notable roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy -LRB- 1985 -- 1990 -RRB- ; and Alex P. Keaton from NBC 's Family Ties -LRB- 1982 -- 1989 -RRB- , for which he won three Emmys and a Golden Globe .   Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson 's disease in 1991 , at age 29 , and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998 . Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of his disease worsened . He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure ; he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation , and on March 5 , 2010 , Sweden 's Karolinska Institutet gave him a honoris causa doctorate for his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson 's disease .   Since 1999 , Fox has mainly worked as a voice-over actor in films such as Stuart Little and Disney 's Atlantis : The Lost Empire . On the CBS TV show The Good Wife , he earned Emmy nominations for three consecutive years for his recurring role as crafty attorney Louis Canning . Fox has also taken recurring guest roles and cameo appearances in Boston Legal , Scrubs , Curb Your Enthusiasm and Rescue Me . He has released three books : Lucky Man : A Memoir -LRB- 2002 -RRB- , Always Looking Up : The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future : Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned -LRB- 2010 -RRB- . He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 . He also was inducted into Canada 's Walk of Fame in 2000 .