Michael J. Fox celebrates 40th anniversary of ‘Back to the Future’

Michael J. Fox brought a touch of nostalgia to the Southampton Playhouse as he marked the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future. 

On August 10, the beloved actor arrived in a DeLorean, delighting fans who gathered to celebrate the milestone screening of the iconic 1985 film.

Wearing brown pants and a black button-down shirt, the 64-year-old appeared in good spirits as he greeted the audience. 

After the movie, Fox stayed on stage for a candid conversation about his celebrated acting career and his ongoing work with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which supports Parkinson’s research, a cause close to his heart since his diagnosis.

The special evening came just months after Apple TV announced that Fox will guest star in the upcoming third season of Shrinking. 

The casting is particularly meaningful to Harrison Ford, whose character, Paul Rhoades, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in season one. 

Ford described Fox’s impact on set as invaluable, saying, “Michael’s courage, his fortitude and his grace, more than anything else, is on full display. 

He’s very smart, very brave, noble, generous, passionate guy, and an example to all of us, whether we’re facing Parkinson’s or not. You cannot help but recognize how amazing it is to have such grace.”

Ford also shared that Fox not only gave him a tangible understanding of the disease but also inspired him to believe in his character’s resilience. 

“He gives me both a physical representation of the disease to inform myself with,” Ford explained, “but more than that, he allows me to believe that Paul could believe that he could be adequate to the challenge.”

Fox, who has been married to actress Tracey Pollan since 1988, shares four children with her—Sam, 36, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 30, and Esmé, 23. 

In 2021, he opened up about his decision to step away from acting after nearly three decades of working post-diagnosis. 

“I continued to act for almost 30 years after I was diagnosed,” he told AARP Magazine. 

“I reached the point where I couldn’t rely on my ability to speak on any given day, which meant I couldn’t act comfortably at all anymore. So, last year I gave it up.”

The Southampton event not only celebrated a timeless movie but also shined a light on Fox’s enduring spirit, both as a performer and as an advocate.

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