Michael J. Fox Turns 50

Much more film and TV success has followed, but these days Fox is also known for his work to raise awareness of Parkinson's disease, a condition he was diagnosed with in the early 1990s. For a time, he kept his Parkinson's diagnosis private, but since going public with his illness in 1998, he has been a tireless advocate for increased awareness and fundraising. In 2006, AARP The Magazine honored Fox with an Inspire Award for his work as a Parkinson's advocate. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is now the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research.

"We could be a year away" from a breakthrough in Parkinson's treatment, he said at a recent ceremony during which he was invested as an Officer in the Order of Canada, his native country's highest civilian honor. "We could be 10 years away; we could be 20 years away. But if you ever wake up in the morning and wonder who's pursuing this, we are. And we're pursuing it hard, and with complete dedication and with purity of motive."

Since 1988, Fox has been married to actress Tracy Pollan — whom he met when she played his girlfriend on Family Ties —  and the couple has four children. Recently, Fox has appeared in a recurring role as a conniving attorney on the hit CBS drama The Good Wife. And — as if the guy who played Alex Keaton and Marty McFly needed to remind us of his comedic chops — he's set to appear this summer on the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm.