Michael Andrew Fox OC (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a retired Canadian-American actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989). Fox is famous for his role as protagonist Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990), a critical and commercial success. He went on to headline several films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Teen Wolf (1985), The Secret of My Success (1987), Casualties of War (1989), Doc Hollywood (1991), and The Frighteners (1996). Fox returned to television on the ABC sitcom Spin City in the lead role of Mike Flaherty from 1996 to 2000. In 1998, Fox disclosed his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He subsequently became an advocate for finding a cure and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms forced Fox to reduce his activities and led to his return to television in Spin City when he was still a major movie star. He continued to make guest appearances on television, including recurring roles on the FX comedy-drama Rescue Me (2009) and the CBS legal drama The Good Wife (2010–2016) that garnered him critical acclaim. He voiced the lead roles in the Stuart Little films (1999–2005) and the animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). His final major role was on the NBC sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show (2013–2014). Fox retired in 2020 due to his declining health. Fox won five Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, along with being inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. For his advocacy of a cure for Parkinson's disease, he received an honorary doctorate in 2010 from the Karolinska Institute and an honorary Oscar in 2022.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 9, 1961 (65)
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Actor, also producer and writer
- 60 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
What are Michael J. Fox's films like?
Across their 46 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 4 · Wry 3 · Earnest 37
Light 35 · Serious 5 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 26 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 5
A split, not a type: Gentle 21 · Charged 14 · Intense 9
Steady 27 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 21 · Funny 15
Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 5
Casual 30 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 35 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 7
Resolved 41 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 24 of 33 analyzed roles.
Show the 33 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Scott - Yellow Team in Midnight Madness (1980)
- Heroas Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties (1982)
- Heroas Jay-Jay Manners in High School U.S.A. (1983)
- Heroas Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985)
- Heroas Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties Vacation (1985)
- Heroas Dennis Baxter in Poison Ivy (1985)
- Heroas Scott Howard in Teen Wolf (1985)
- Heroas Joe Rasnick in Light of Day (1987)
- Heroas Brantley Foster in The Secret of My Success (1987)
- Heroas Jamie in Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
- Heroas Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II (1989)
- Heroas Eriksson in Casualties of War (1989)
- Heroas Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part III (1990)
- Heroas Ben Stone in Doc Hollywood (1991)
- Heroas Nick Lang in The Hard Way (1991)
- Tricksteras Nick Lang in The Hard Way (1991)
- Heroas Doug Ireland in For Love or Money (1993)
- Heroas Michael Chapman in Life with Mikey (1993)
- Shadowas Clayton Farnsworth in Where the Rivers Flow North (1993)
- Allyas Axel Magee in Don't Drink the Water (1994)
- Heroas Danny in Greedy (1994)
- Allyas Lewis Rothschild in The American President (1995)
- Heroas Frank Bannister in The Frighteners (1996)
- Tricksteras Frank Bannister in The Frighteners (1996)
- Heroas Chance in Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996)
- Heroas Stuart Little in Stuart Little (1999)
- Heroas Milo in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- Heroas Stuart Little in Stuart Little 2 (2002)
- Heroas Stuart Little in Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005)
- Heroas Mike Henry in The Michael J. Fox Show (2013)
- Mentoras A.R.C.H.I.E. in A.R.C.H.I.E. (2016)
- Allyas A.R.C.H.I.E. in A.R.C.H.I.E. 2 (2018)
- Mentoras Mr. Lockhart in See You Yesterday (2019)
Moods and endings
- Happy33
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael J. Fox's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 33 of their 60 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- Interstate 60 (2002) · actor · free
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) · actor, director · free
- Casualties of War (1989) · actor · free
- Class of 1984 (1982) · actor · free
- Where the Rivers Flow North (1993) · actor · free
- Teen Wolf (1985) · actor · free
- Bright Lights, Big City (1988) · actor · free
- High School U.S.A. (1983) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Michael J. Fox's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
78 credits, 60 with a MovieCove page; 61 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Zootopia 2(2025)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Shrinking(2023)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Back Home Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
See You Yesterday(2019)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
A.R.C.H.I.E. 2(2018)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Corner Gas Animated (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Back to the Future: The Hill Valley Chronicles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The Good Fight(2017)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Designated Survivor(2016)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
A.R.C.H.I.E.(2016)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Back to the Present(2015)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Michael J. Fox Show(2013)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Good Wife(2009)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Phineas and Ferb(2007)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Boston Legal(2004)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Rescue Me(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Clone High(2002)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Stuart Little 2(2002)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Interstate 60(2002)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Scrubs(2001)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Curb Your Enthusiasm(2000)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Stuart Little(1999)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Mars Attacks!(1996)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Spin City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
The Frighteners(1996)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The American President(1995)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Blue in the Face(1995)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Coldblooded(1995)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Your Studio and You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Don't Drink the Water(1994)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Greedy(1994)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
For Love or Money(1993)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Life with Mikey(1993)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Brooklyn Bridge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Doc Hollywood(1991)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Hard Way(1991)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Casualties of War(1989)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Tales from the Crypt(1989)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Mickey's 60th Birthday(1988)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Bright Lights, Big City(1988)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Secret of My Success(1987)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Return of Bruno(1987)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Light of Day(1987)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
The Ice Man Hummeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Family Ties Vacation(1985)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Teen Wolf(1985)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Back to the Future(1985)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Poison Ivy(1985)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Night Court(1984)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
Don't Ask Me, Ask God(1984)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
High School U.S.A.(1983)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Family Ties(1982)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
Class of 1984(1982)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Teachers Only (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
This Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Here's Boomer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Palmerstown, U.S.A. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Midnight Madness(1980)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Letters from Frank (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Trapper John, M.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Leo and Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Dragoons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 78 titles, 77 of them dated from 1976 to 2025; peak year 1990.
Biggest box office
Back to the Future (1985)
Highest rated
Back to the Future (1985)
Most popular right now
Family Ties (1982)
Film career
Peak 1990 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 28 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1980Screen debut· Midnight Madness
- 1983First top-billed film· High School U.S.A.
- 1985Breakout· Back to the Future
- 2013Career best· The Michael J. Fox Show
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Michael J. Fox's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 45; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up25
- 50th to 74th14
- 25th to 49th16
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
24 of their 60 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved15
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser24
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed13
Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 40 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Michael J. Fox's work okay for kids?
Across up to 23 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Michael J. Fox work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael J. Fox's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Zemeckis shares the most, 7.
Directors
- Robert ZemeckisShared titles: A Future on Stage (2025), Back in Time (2015), Looking Back to the Future (2009), The Frighteners (1996), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 7 shared titles with Robert Zemeckis
- Robin DunneShared titles: A.R.C.H.I.E. 2 (2018), A.R.C.H.I.E. (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Robin Dunne
- Rob MinkoffShared titles: Stuart Little 2 (2002), Stuart Little (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Rob Minkoff
Writers
- Bob GaleShared titles: A Future on Stage (2025), Back in Time (2015), Looking Back to the Future (2009), Interstate 60 (2002), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 7 shared titles with Bob Gale
- E.B. WhiteShared titles: Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005), Stuart Little 2 (2002), Stuart Little (1999)See all 3 shared titles with E.B. White
- Douglas WickShared titles: Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005), Stuart Little 2 (2002), Stuart Little (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Douglas Wick
- Sheila BurnfordShared titles: Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996), Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Sheila Burnford
Actors
- Christopher LloydShared titles: Back in Time (2015), Looking Back to the Future (2009), Interstate 60 (2002), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 6 shared titles with Christopher Lloyd
- Lea ThompsonShared titles: Back in Time (2015), Looking Back to the Future (2009), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 5 shared titles with Lea Thompson
- Geena DavisShared titles: Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005), Stuart Little 2 (2002), Stuart Little (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Geena Davis
- Hugh LaurieShared titles: Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005), Stuart Little 2 (2002), Stuart Little (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Hugh Laurie
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Alan SilvestriShared titles: Back in Time (2015), Stuart Little 2 (2002), Stuart Little (1999), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 6 shared titles with Alan Silvestri
- Dean CundeyShared titles: Back in Time (2015), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 4 shared titles with Dean Cundey
- Bruce BroughtonShared titles: Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996), For Love or Money (1993), Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)See all 3 shared titles with Bruce Broughton
- Arthur SchmidtShared titles: Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Arthur Schmidt
Producers
- Neil CantonShared titles: Looking Back to the Future (2009), Interstate 60 (2002), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 5 shared titles with Neil Canton
- Steven SpielbergShared titles: Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 4 shared titles with Steven Spielberg
- Frank MarshallShared titles: Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Frank Marshall
- Kathleen KennedyShared titles: Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Kathleen Kennedy
Mixed roles
- Kirk WiseShared titles: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Kirk Wise
