The best Michael J. Fox roles

Michael J. Fox had already spent time on television when his first film role came around. Midnight Madness, from 1980, is a forgettable movie, but a young Fox's role as Scott was notable because he could hold the viewer's attention. Scott is the pesky little brother acting out and looking for attention from older sibling Adam (David Naughton). 

As the 1980s rolled on, Fox stepped into various leading-man roles. Not all earned him critical acclaim. The Secret of My Success received mixed reviews upon its 1987 release, but Fox's performance is good enough to make this list. As a New York City mailroom employee moonlighting as a corporate executive, under an assumed identity, he carries the picture. Fox has always been good at mixing the right balance of comedy and drama, and it shows here.

When Fox was a major primetime star on NBC, he starred in a pair of campy but fun made-for-television movie comedies that featured some of the network's other young stars. The second of two notable such projects was 1985's Poison Ivy, where Fox stars as Dennis Baxter, a likable summer camp counselor who sets his sights on the camp's nurse (played by Facts of Life star Nancy McKeon). There's not much substance to the movie, but Fox is genuine and funny — enough to keep our interest. 

With Kiefer Sutherland as the President of the United States, Designated Survivor was an underrated show (running from 2016-19) that, at one point, didn't have a home. In a brief recurring role, Fox stood out as a lawyer brought in by President Kirkman's administration to defend his ability to serve the office. This was late in Fox's career and one of his last extended roles. But, even in a compromised physical state, a goateed Fox performed admirably with some memorable moments. 

Fox has not shied away from lending his talent to animated film work. In the case of Stuart Little, it came in live-action/computer-animated form. Perhaps his most notable performance in this area came as the titular lead in the Stuart Little series of films that kicked off in the late 1990s. The initial movie was a hit with children and adults alike. Fox received generally positive reviews as the mischievous but lovable mouse, who a well-to-do family adopts as companionship for their young son. And, of course, there is a cat involved. 

A friend of Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), Dr. Casey is a brilliant, versatile doctor who appeared on the popular sitcom in 2004. He also happened to be severely obsessive-compulsive. He drove home every time he needed to use the bathroom and washed his hands until his skin bled. Fox's character was frustrated. He wanted to be normal, much like the man playing the role. This was the first extended example of Fox incorporating a physical ailment or disorder into a character while dealing with his Parkinson's battle.

The first of Fox's two featured films from 1987. By now, Fox was among the biggest stars on the planet. In this film, he took on a dramatic role alongside rocker Joan Jett in her first true acting gig. The two played brother and sister, fronting a rock band in Cleveland while also trying to keep their family together. Fox's mullet-sporting performance is admirable as a realist trying to balance a potentially bright music career with surviving everyday America. Yet, Jett's performance stole the show.

One year after Light of Day, Fox took another dramatic role with Bright Lights, Big City. It was quite the departure from what audiences and TV fans had seen or expected from Fox. Jamie is a dark character with a middling job and penchant for drugs and alcohol. The latter combination ultimately turns Jamie's life upside-down. For some, it was hard, or even unbelievable, to see Fox in such a disturbing role. It was a bold move, and he pulled it off well enough to be celebrated. 

While Sean Penn gave a riveting yet disturbing performance in this 1989 Brian De Palma Vietnam War drama, Fox gave his fellow star a run for his money. The film was based on the 1966 incident in which American soldiers sexually assaulted and killed a young Vietnamese woman. Fox is unsurprisingly strong as Eriksson, the film's protagonist and potential voice of reason, while at odds with Penn's Sgt. Meserve. It was another Fox role that seemed out-of-character for the actor, but one he could pull off quite easily.

Looking back on things now, Daniel Post might be Fox's most entertaining character. He only appeared in six episodes as a wealthy businessman and love interest of Denise Bauer (Julie Bowen). Daniel was also dealing with terminal lung cancer, leading to some memorable and emotional moments with Denise. 

The other made-for-TV NBC comedy movie that Fox starred in happens to be some of his funniest and most underrated work. Likely forgotten, 1983's High School U.S.A featured the network's stars of the time (Fox, Todd Bridges, Nancy McKeon) and former childhood favorites (Ken Osmond, Tony Dow) in a high school romp. Jay-Jay Mathers is the epitome of a high school slacker. A goof-off with no direction, he's a likable underdog who is determined to win the heart of classmate Beth Franklin (McKeon, again), who happens to be dating big-man-on-campus Beau Middleton (Anthony Edwards). 

The Michael J. Fox Show lasted just one season, and all 22 episodes in 2013-14 didn't even air in the United States on NBC. Still, Fox earned critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for essentially playing himself. Mike Henry was forced to leave his job after a Parkinson's diagnosis. Years later, he decides to go back to television news. Plenty of self-deprecating humor makes for some endearing moments between Fox and his supportive but mildly dysfunctional family. 

As we've seen, Fox is capable of taking on roles of various magnitude, whether comedy or drama. Yet, during his leading-man prime in Hollywood, Fox seemed at his best when mixing the two genres. That was the case with 1991's Doc Hollywood, a popular romantic comedy in which Fox is funny, endearing, and even mature in a movie where the plot was simple and obvious. 

One of Fox's five Primetime Emmy Award victories was earned for his appearance during Season 5 of this popular FX fire series (2004-11). Playing Janet's paralyzed love interest, Fox's Dwight can be a bit confrontational — just ask Tommy (Denis Leary). But in a drama setting, he actually provided some of the more comedic moments that season. Even at that point in his career, and considering his health issues, Fox was still on the top of his game.

Fox's recurring role on The Good Wife earned him five Primetime Emmy Award nominations between 2011-16. He never won any, but that didn't stop Louis from being devilishly entertaining. A rival lawyer of Alicia (Julianna Margulies), he tended to steal scene after scene when appearing on the popular legal drama. It was also another role in which Fox incorporated his real-life physical condition, with Louis Canning suffering from Tardive dyskinesia, which causes involuntary body movement. 

1985 proved to be a breakout year for Fox at the box office. Teen Wolf was the first of Fox's two commercially successful movies from the year — and more of a surprise hit. Scott Howard is an average high schooler with a $6 haircut and bad outside hook shot. However, his life changes when he discovers a genetic secret that makes him a star basketball player and the most popular student in school. It's one of Fox's most recognized characters and inspired a sequel, animated series, and supernatural drama series.

Any actor would be thrilled to be integral to just one successful television sitcom. Fox has been fortunate to do so twice. We'll get to the first one in a bit, but Fox's return to network comedy in 1996 with Spin City earned him three Golden Globe Awards and his fourth Primetime Emmy. Portraying the Deputy Mayor of New York, Fox was grown up yet still whimsical in a role where he seemed right at home back in primetime. His Parkinson's diagnosis forced him into semi-retirement following the show's fourth season.

By the mid-1990s, Fox wasn't drawing many leading-man roles. However, this 1995 supporting performance in the Rob Reiner-Aaron Sorkin comedy-drama as the pushy yet comically perfect aide to President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) stood out. Fox was praised for a role that not only earned him an American Comedy Award nomination but provided the inspiration to open the door for Spin City.

The role that made Michael J. Fox famous. In terms of network sitcom characters, Alex P. Keaton is an icon. The Nixon-loving, money-obsessed, bed-wetting conservative living in a liberal household, Alex was the undisputed focal point of the Keaton family on his popular NBC hit. Fox won three Primetime Emmy Awards (1986-88) for the role. He parlayed his television popularity into a movie career that made him one of the most successful and versatile actors during the 1980s and into the '90s. 

That other 1985 film from Fox just happened to be one of the most popular movies of all time. Back to the Future made almost $400 million and spawned two widely popular sequels. Fox was already a TV favorite, but Back to the Future turned him into a box-office star. Fox's goofy but charming Marty McFly is one of the most iconic characters in film history. He was perfect for the role, and over the years, he has embraced it for what it's meant to Hollywood and the legacy of the film franchise.