Michael J. Fox made a truly inspiring appearance at the 2025 US Open. He showed up even while continuing his long fight against Parkinson’s disease.
Fox, who is 64 years old, arrived at the tennis championship in a wheelchair. This was on Sunday, September 7, the 15th day of the event. It took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Still, he got up to pose for pictures with his wife, Tracy Pollan, on the blue carpet. New York influencer Mickey Blank shared a video of this moment on Instagram.
The famous star of Back to the Future looked sharp in blue pants and a matching jacket. He wore a white collared shirt underneath. Dark sunglasses and gray sneakers finished his look. His wife, Pollan, 65, married Fox back in 1988. She chose a light pink maxi dress with a floral pattern, beige heels, and a matching handbag. After the photos, Fox returned to his wheelchair and waved to photographers as he entered the event.
Fox learned he had Parkinson’s when he was 29, in 1991. He first noticed symptoms while filming Doc Hollywood. However, he didn’t tell the public about his diagnosis until 1998. Later, in 2000, he started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. His goal was to push for more research to find a cure.
Fox opened up about living with Parkinson’s for over 30 years. He spoke at his musical benefit gala, "A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s," in April 2024. “After 35 years, or something like that, since I was diagnosed, this is just my life,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I don’t think much about it. I don’t even think about it."
He added that his focus is on the bigger picture. "I just think about what we’re going to do as a community to solve this and find a cure,” Fox explained. “If we don’t find a cure, [we can] create really innovative treatment centers.”
Fox continued, “Personally, it’s just who I am and how I’m made. And I’m not trying to figure it out just for me, I’m figuring it out for everyone. But it is what it is." He ended on a hopeful note. "My life has been a great journey and still is. And despite all the challenges, all the good things come.”
Fox stopped acting full-time in 2020 because of his illness. The next year, he shared with AARP Magazine why he made that choice. “I kept acting for almost 30 years after I was diagnosed,” he said. “I got to a point where I couldn’t rely on my ability to speak on any given day. This meant I could no longer act comfortably. So last year I quit.”
Now, Fox is set to return to television. He will make his first TV series appearance since his retirement on Season 3 of Shrinking. This show is expected to hit AppleTV+ in late 2025 or early 2026. The series co-creator, Bill Lawrence, revealed something special about the show. The character Dr. Paul Rhoades, played by Harrison Ford, has Parkinson’s. His journey was inspired by Fox’s own battle.
“It’s great to be able to write about things that matter to you now,” Lawrence, 55, told People in December 2024. “And Michael J. Fox is my first mentor. So we wanted to represent him in an inspiring way, not sad or tragic.”