US star Michael J. Fox (62, “Back to the Future”) touched the prominent audience at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday evening (February 18) at the Southbank Center in London when he was wheeled onto the stage in a wheelchair. The actor, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 1991, presented the award for best film to “Oppenheimer” (2023).
Fox received a standing ovation from the crème de la crème of show business for his performance. The legendary 1980s film star was visibly moved by the reaction as he stood and leaned on the lectern to announce the nominees and ultimately the winner.
As Mail Online reports, Fox said when presenting the award: “There are five films nominated in this category tonight and all five have something in common. They are the best of what we do. No matter who you are or wherever you come from, these films can bring us together. There’s a reason why they say films are magical, because films can change your day. They can change your perspective. Sometimes they can even change your life.”
Previously, Michael J. Fox, dressed entirely in black, walked the red carpet with his wife Tracy Pollan (63), dressed in elegant white.
Michael J. Fox was just 29 years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. In 1998 he went public with this news. In 2023, the star released the Apple TV documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” about his career and life with the serious illness, which also earned him a BAFTA nomination. However, the award for best documentary that evening went to “20 Days in Mariupol”.
Speaking to the BBC in response to the documentary’s nomination, Fox bravely said: “I would say it’s a gift and people would look at me and I would say it’s a gift that keeps on giving, But it’s a gift.”
The biopic “Oppenheimer” was the big winner of the evening and received seven awards, including for best film, Robert Downey Jr. (58) as best supporting actor and Christopher Nolan (53) as best director.
