Michael J. Fox makes rare appearance at 2026 Actor Awards

Michael J. Fox delivered a heartfelt speech during a surprise appearance at the 2026 Actor Awards on Sunday night.

Amid the ceremony, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, host Kristen Bell introduced the "I Am an Actor" segment, during which guests share what it means to be an actor.

The likes of Kristen Wiig, Teyana Taylor, Delroy Lindo, and Kate Hudson took part in the light-hearted bit before the camera cut to a close-up on Fox, who attended with his son, Sam.

As attendees cheered and gave a standing ovation that lasted around 15 seconds, the Back to the Future star flashed a peace sign. The event marked a rare awards show appearance for Fox, who was forced to step back from acting when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early '90s.

"Before I left school, I moved from Canada to L.A. to make it as an actor. A teacher of mine told me, 'Fox, you're not going to be cute forever.' I didn't know what to say to that, so I said, 'Maybe just long enough, sir!'" he recalled.

Fox went on to credit the entertainment industry for helping him meet his wife, Tracy Pollan.

The pair married in 1988 and share four children.

"After a few years of dumpster diving in L.A., I ended up on Family Ties, where I received the biggest gift of my career: I met my wife, the actress Tracy Pollan, who played Ellen, my girlfriend, and she gave me four gifts... our four kids," the 64-year-old continued. "Sometimes I like to remind them if it wasn't for acting, they wouldn't be here. By the way, he's not an actor, he's just my date. I'm Michael J. Fox, I'm a dad, and I'm an actor!"

Fox, who founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000, officially retired from Hollywood in 2020.

However, he has made periodic acting appearances since, including a voice-acting role in the 2025 animation Zootopia 2 and playing the character of Gerry in two episodes of the second season of Apple TV's Shrinking.