Actor Michael. J. Fox, who starred in the “Back to the Future” trilogy in the 1980s, received an honorary Oscar for his work as an activist, which raised $1.5 billion for Parkinson’s disease research.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder that causes tremors and other symptoms, at the age of 29. Since then, he has limited his acting career and created the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to help research treatments for the disease in 2000. Parkinson’s still has no cure.
“It is with the deepest humility that I stand here and I accept your kindness,” the star said Saturday night (11/19) at the annual Governors Awards, organized by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, in its acronym in English). She received a standing ovation from a constellation of stars in attendance, including Tom Hanks and Jennifer Lawrence.
Fox said the worst part of her diagnosis was “dealing with the uncertainty” and that she kept the diagnosis a private matter for years because she “didn’t know if the public would be able to laugh. [de suas comédias] if they knew I was suffering”.
The Canadian actor, who is currently 61 years old, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy’s Board of Governors (filmmakers), which was presented to him by his friend Woody Harrelson.
“He turned a chilling diagnosis into a courageous mission,” the actor said as he presented the honor.
In addition to Fox, the Governors Awards event also saw honorary Academy Awards for French-speaking director Euzhan Palcy, American composer Diane Warren and Australian director Peter Weir for their career achievements.
Considered a revolutionary filmmaker, Euzhan Palcy, born in Martinique, in the Caribbean, was the first black director to be awarded at the Venice Film Festival and at the César (the French Oscar), a feat accomplished with the remarkable “Rue Cases Nègres” in 1983.
Diane Warren is a veteran songwriter, with no less than 12 Academy Award nominations, but no Academy Award wins. He composed songs such as “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”, recorded by the band Aerosmith for the soundtrack of “Armageddon” (1998), “Til It Happens to You”, sung by Lady Gaga in the soundtrack of the documentary ” The Hunting Ground” (2015) and “Stand Up for Something”, performed by rapper Common in “Marshall: Equality and Justice” (2017).
To top it off, Peter Weir is an anointed filmmaker with six Academy Award nominations. His filmography includes such modern classics as ‘Dead Poets Society’ (1989), ‘The Mosquito Coast’ (1986), which became a series on Apple TV+, and ‘The Truman Show’ (1998), which was featured in the Cannes Film Festival poster of this year. But since his last Oscar nomination, for “Master of the Seas: The Far Side of the World” (2003), he has made only one more feature film: “Path to Freedom” (2010). 12 years have passed without filming.
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Source: Terra
Amanda Larkin is a celebrity journalist at Gossipify, known for her in-depth interviews and unique perspectives on the entertainment industry. She covers celebrity news and gossip, providing readers with engaging and informative content, and understanding of the inner workings of the industry. She’s respected for keeping readers up to date with the latest trends and providing a fresh perspective on the celebrity world.
