What Is Michael J. Fox’s Net Worth and Salary?
With a net worth of $65 million, Canadian-American Michael J. Fox OC is a former actor, comedian, author, film producer, and campaigner. Of all the stars of the 1980s, Michael J. Fox has had one of the most prosperous careers. He became well-known and a popular figure after making an appearance on the popular comedy “Family Ties.” His role in the hugely popular “Back to the Future” film series solidified his position as a major celebrity. He has received a Grammy, two SAG Awards, four Golden Globes, and five Emmys. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 2010.
Fox made a comeback as a popular sitcom star in the mid-1990s, making an appearance on the popular show “Spin City.” In the early 1990s, the actor, who was born in Canada, received a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. when then, he has mostly concentrated on writing and voice-over work, particularly when the disease’s symptoms started to interfere with his ability to perform on-camera. Through his Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has donated more than $300 million to date, he also became a strong advocate for Parkinson’s research and treatment.
Early Life
On June 9, 1961, Michael Andrew Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta. His stage name, Michael J. Fox, is his most well-known identity. His father, William Fox, was a police officer and member of the Canadian Forces, while his mother, Phyllis (née Piper), worked as a payroll clerk and actor. He has Scottish and English ancestry. The family moved about a lot because of his father’s work, but when he retired in 1971, they finally settled in Burnaby, a Vancouver suburb. Burnaby Central Secondary School was Fox’s school.
Career Beginnings
At the age of fifteen, Michael made his debut in the entertainment industry. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation developed the television show “Leo and Me,” in which he appeared. Although the show was first created and shot in 1976, it wasn’t broadcast until 1981. There were twelve episodes in all. In the TV movie “Letters from Frank” (1979), Fox made his television debut in the United States. When he attempted to register with the Screen Actors Guild at this time, he found that an actor named Michael Fox was already registered. Since he disliked the names “Andrew” and “Andy,” as well as the sound of “Michael A. Fox,” he decided to take a new middle initial. He decided to use “J.” as a nod to Michael J. Pollard, the actor.
“Family Ties”
In 1980, Fox made his feature film debut in “Midnight Madness,” and in 1982, he starred in “Class of 1984.” Thereafter, in 1982, he was chosen to play “Young Republican” Alex P. Keaton on the NBC series “Family Ties.” The show ran from 1982 to 1989 for seven seasons. Fox’s role received such excellent reviews that NBC decided to make him the show’s primary character after the fourth episode, even though the show’s original focus was supposed to be the family’s parents. The show was a huge hit. It consistently attracted one-third of American households as viewers at its peak. For his work on “Family Ties,” Fox received a Golden Globe Award in 1989 and three Emmy Awards in 1986, 1987, and 1988.
Back to the Future
Fox was chosen in January 1985 to play Marty McFly in the time-traveling movie “Back to the Future.” From the start, filmmaker Robert Zemeckis wanted to cast Fox as Marty. However, “Family Ties” creator Gary David Goldberg forbade Zemeckis from approaching Fox because he needed Michael to carry the program while Meredith Baxter was on maternity leave. Instead, Zemeckis cast Eric Stoltz as Marty and started filming “Back to the Future,” but after Baxter returned to “Family Ties,” which somewhat freed up Michael’s schedule, he replaced Stoltz with Fox.
Fox had to put up with a demanding schedule to work on both the movie and the TV show simultaneously. Before heading to the ‘Back to the Future’ set to practice and film until 2:30 a.m., he would practice for ‘Family Ties’ from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. This was a two-month timetable! However, “Back to the Future” was a big commercial and critical success, so his efforts were worthwhile. It made a total of $381.11 million worldwide and topped the US box office for eight straight weekends in 1985. “Back to the Future Part II” (1989) and “Back to the Future Part III” 91990) were two popular sequels in which Michael would later feature.
“Back to the Future” Salaries
In the first “Back to the Future” film, Michael J. Fox received a salary of $500,000. That comes to about $1.4 million in today’s currency after accounting for inflation. Michael made $5 million for the second and third installments, which were shot consecutively between February 1989 and January 1990. He made a total of $11.4 million from the three films.
Other Salaries
- In 1985, Michael received $750,000 for his role in “Teen Wolf.”
- In 1987, he received $2 million for “The Secret of My Success.”
- He made $5 million in 1994 from “Greedy.”
Other Film Work
The films “Teen Wolf” (1985), “Light of Day” (1987), “The Secret of My Success” (1987), “Bright Lights, Big City” (1988), and “Casualties of War” (1989) were all starring Fox during and soon following the production of the “Back to the Future” trilogy. Michael appeared in the 1991 motion pictures “Doc Hollywood” and “The Hard Way.” He received a private diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease that same year. Having been informed that he probably had “ten good working years left,” Fox quickly agreed to a three-film deal. The films “For Love or Money” (1993), “Life With Mikey” (1993), and “Greedy” (1994) were the outcome of this. In 1996, Fox had a significant part in Peter Jackson’s film “The Frighteners.” Over the years, he has continued to feature in television series and dramas, such as “The Good Wife,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Designated Survivor,” and “The Good Fight.”
Fox has voiced several films in addition to his on-screen personas. In the live-action Disney movies “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” (1993) and “Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco” (1996), he provided the voice of Chance the American Bulldog. In addition, he provided the voice of Milo Thatch in the Disney animated feature “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” (2001) and the title character in the 1999 film “Stuart Little” and its follow-ups “Stuart Little 2” (2002) and “Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild” (2005). In 2021, he provided the voice of Michael J. Bird in the animated movie “Back Home Again.”
“Spin City” and More
Fox starred in the ABC series “Spin City,” which debuted in 1996, later in his career. After the fourth season, he departed the program. Since then, he has worked on a number of significant projects, including as “The Michael J. Fox Show,” which ran on NBC from 2013 to 2014.
Other Work
Fox has published four books since 2000: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learnt” (2010), “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” (2009), “Lucky Man: A Memoir” (2002), and “No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality” (2020).
Personal Life
In July 1988, Fox wed actress Tracy Pollan. They have four kids together.
In an attempt to find a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to further research using embryonic stem cell experiments. Over $300 million has been raised for Parkinson’s research by the organization so far.
Michael has been sober since 1992, but he struggled with drinking at the time of his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Real Estate
Although the family’s primary residence is in Manhattan, they also own a second property in Quogue, New York (the Hamptons), which they paid $6.3 million for in October 2007.
On 72 acres in Sharon, Connecticut, Michael and Tracy constructed a unique 5,000-square-foot home in 1997. In 2016, they put the house up for sale for $4.25 million, and in October 2017, they received an offer of $3.9 million.
Michael J. Fox Career Earnings
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Greedy $5 Million
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The Secret of My Succe$s $2 Million
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Teen Wolf $750 Thousand
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Back to the Future $500 Thousand
