Michael J. Fox faced a tough decision when he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in his late 20s. Initially, “I kept it a secret. I was afraid it would affect my work and my relationship with audiences. Would they laugh if they knew I was sick?” the comic actor asked in a moving speech at the 78th Emmys.
He was accepting the Television Academy’s prestigious Bob Hope Humanitarian Award along with remarkable standing ovations both before and after his remarks.
The honor is given to an individual in the TV industry “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry and whose deeds and actions have had a lasting impact on society,” per the Academy. It’s only the sixth time one has been awarded. After his diagnosis, Fox created a foundation that has become the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research.
“Because you stood up for me,” he gestured to the audience, “I kept doing what love … I didn’t have to surrender to it.”
The five-time Emmy winner also happens to be nominated for the 19th time this year for his guest role in Apple TV’s Shrinking.
Fox, who won three consecutive Emmys for his breakout role in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties leading to a film and TV career that included the Back to the Future movie trilogy, Teen Wolf, The Secret of My Success, Casualties of War, The American President, Doc Hollywood and series Spin City among others, revealed 1998 that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. He founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research two years later. It has supported more than $3 billion in research.
“I set up it up to advocate and raise money and look for a cure,” he said tonight. “I found brilliant people to lead the effort, to fund the best science in the world. I am proud of the progress we have achieved. I am deeply grateful to our staff who make the possible.”
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