Here's Why Michael J Fox Says He Is No Longer Acting Amid Battle with Parkinson's Disease

On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, actor Michael J. Fox’s memoir was finally released. In the book, the star revealed the sad truth that he would no longer be taking part in acting.

Michael J. Fox’s memoir was released this week. The “Back to the Future” actor’s book is titled “No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality” and in it, he spoke about different topics including his longtime Parkinson’s disease battle.

The star went public with his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 1998. The “Family Ties” actor actually found out he had the illness in 1991, and the disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.

After he went public with his diagnosis, Fox continued with his acting career. From 1996 until 2001, he starred on “Spin City,” and from 2010 until 2016 he had a recurring guest role on “The Good Wife.”

At the beginning of the month, the star was interviewed by “People” magazine where he revealed how the disease was taking over his life. Besides the most known symptoms of rigidity and tremors, Fox, 59, also suffered from another side-effect.

The actor confessed to the publication that he was struggling with recalling words. Speaking for the magazine’s cover story, Fox shared what was happening to him saying:

“My short-term memory is shot.”

Not being able to memorize scripts and words has badly affected his career. Ahead of his memoir’s release, “The New York Times” revealed what Fox wrote about the future of his acting career:

“Not being able to speak reliably is a game-breaker for an actor.”

In his book, he also noted how the disease would render him frozen, stone-faced, immobile, and mute. The actor would then find himself at the mercy of whatever environment he was in at that moment.

The great thing for Michael J. Fox is that he’s not alone in this battle.

As a person who equates emotion to motion, the actor admitted that the disease left him quite humbled. Fox confessed how the side-effect was a lesson in humility for him.

The great thing for the star is that he’s not alone in this battle. Fox has his loving wife, Tracy Pollan (his wife of 31 years), their four children (son Sam, 31, twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, 25, and Esmé, 19), and even his dog, Gus.

The actor met Pollan in the summer of 1985 while she was auditioning for “Family Ties.” She ended up leaving the show after one season, but they reunited in 1987 for the film “Bright Lights, Big City” and the rest is history.