Michael J. Fox Makes Rare Appearance at the 2026 Actor Awards, Recalls 'Dumpster Diving' Before Finding 'Family Ties' Fame

Michael J. Fox was among the famous faces in the audience at the 2026 Actor Awards.

While his battle with Parkinson's disease has kept him largely out of the spotlight over the years, the Back to the Future star, 64, opted to participate in the show's annual "I Am an Actor" segment on Sunday, March 1.

"I left school and moved from Canada to L.A. to try and make it as an actor," he said as the crowd cheered. "A teacher of mine told me, Fox, you're not going to be cute forever. I didn't know what to say to that, so I said, 'Maybe just long enough, sir.'"

"After a few years of dumpster diving in L.A., I ended up on Family Ties, where I received the biggest gift of my career. I met my wife, the actor Tracy Pollan, who played Ellen, my girlfriend. And she gave me four gifts. Our kids, Schuyler, Aquinnah, Esmé and Sam."

"Sometimes I like to remind them, if it weren't for acting, they wouldn't be here," he quipped, before pointing to his son Sam and saying, "By the way, he's not an actor. He's just my date. I'm Michael J. Fox, and a dad, and I'm an actor."