A person afflicted with Parkinson's disease is Michael J. Fox.
Michael Andrew Fox , OC ( born June 9 , 1961 ) , known professionally as Michael J. Fox , is a Canadian-American actor , author , producer , and activist . Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson 's disease in 1991 , at age 29 , and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998 . Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of his disease worsened . He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure ; he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation , and on March 5 , 2010 , Sweden 's Karolinska Institutet gave him a honoris causa doctorate for his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson 's disease . Parkinson's disease . People with parkinsonism who have increased the public 's awareness of the condition include actor Michael J. Fox , Olympic cyclist Davis Phinney , and late professional boxer Muhammad Ali .