“I am careful not to confuse excellence with
perfection. Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business.”
– Michael J. Fox
Fox, who celebrated his
56th birthday this past weekend, stays exceptionally busy despite
his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, working on causes ranging from
finding a cure for the illness to eradicating hunger and housing shortages. 
He remains one of the most well-known faces in acting, never resting on the laurels that came from his earlier successes, especially as Alex Keaton on the long-running TV series Family Ties, and as teen heartthrob/adventurer Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movie series.
A native of Edmonton, Canada and now
longtime resident of New York City, Fox’s acting career almost got sidelined from the
start. The director of Family Ties wanted him for the Alex
role, but producer Brandon Tartikoff felt Keaton was “too short (he’s 5-foot-4)
and not the kind of face you’d like to see on your kid’s lunchbox.” But they tried him in the pilot and he was so
well-received he went on to be the key figure in the show, winning three Emmy
Awards in the process. At the end of
the series, he presented Tartikoff with a lunchbox with his face emblazoned on
the cover.
Also a gifted writer, Fox uses his
writing skills to spread the word about the disease from which he suffers, ever
optimistic that with enough attention and support a cure can be discovered – if
not in his lifetime then at least to help future generations. Lucky
Man, his book about dealing with the disease, is a must read for those
interested in how to overcome seemingly crushing odds.
“I see possibilities in everything.
For everything that's taken away, something of greater value has been given,”
Fox said. “I like to encourage people to realize that
any action is a good action if it's proactive and there is positive intent
behind it.”
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