Before They Were Famous Guess Who? 02/09/2009

After several small parts, this actor received his first major television role only after Matthew Broderick turned it down.

He secured the role from a phone booth because he had no home phone.

One of the show's producers tried to have him replaced saying "this is not the kind of face you'll ever find on a lunchbox."

He replaced Eric Stoltz in his first major film role. The film was number one at the box office for 11 consecutive weeks.

His real-life wife once played his on-screen girlfriend.

He is currently semi-retired from acting.

Who is he?

Continue reading for the answer.



Michael J. Fox played Alex P. Keaton on the television show "Family Ties" from 1982-1989. The role was originally offered to Matthew Broderick.

Fox negotiated the deal for "Family Ties" from a phone booth outside a Pioneer Chicken restaurant in Hollywood because he had no phone at home. He was told the network would need to call, and he said he was only home between the hours of four and five. He waited for the call, and fortunately he was there to answer it and secure the Family Ties role.

Producer Brandon Tartikoff felt that Fox was too short for the role, and tried to have him replaced. Tartikoff reportedly said that "this is not the kind of face you'll ever find on a lunchbox." After his later successes, Fox presented Tartikoff with a custom-made lunchbox with the inscription "To Brandon, this is for you to put your crow in. Love and Kisses, Michael J.Fox." Tartikoff kept the lunchbox in his office for the rest of his NBC career.

A few years into Family Ties, the show's creator, Gary David Goldberg, was approached and asked to let Fox star in a Steven Spielberg film about a time-travelling teenager. Initially, Goldberg did not tell Michael about the offer, not wanting to lose Michael to film stardom. Months later, Goldberg was again asked about Michael because Eric Stoltz, who had been chosen for the part after Goldberg stated that Fox wasn't available, was reportedly not giving the energetic performance that Robert Zemeckis, the director, was looking for. Goldberg finally told Michael about the offer and he quickly agreed to play the role of Marty McFly in the film Back to the Future. Fox would rehearse for Family Ties from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. After he was done, he would be rushed to the Back to the Future set where he would rehearse and shoot until 2:30 A.M. This schedule lasted for two full months. On July 4, 1985 Back to the Future was number one at the box office. The film was number one for 11 consecutive weeks.

Fox met wife Tracy Pollan on the set of "Family Ties" when she played his girlfriend, Ellen. The two were reunited during the shooting of the film "Bright Lights, Big City" and were married on July 16, 1988.

In 1998, Fox disclosed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991. As the symptoms of his disease worsened he semi-retired from acting in 2000.

photos: WENN