Martin Scorsese, Davis Guggenheim and Richard Kind were just a few people who shared their appreciation for Michael J. Fox at the 2023 Spring Moving Image Awards.
The Museum of the Moving Image honored Fox with the lifetime achievement award for his work on the screen and Parkinson’s advocacy, dedicating a seat in the museum’s Redstone Theater to him.
Scorsese spoke about Fox’s career and how the growth of his talent has continuously amazed him.
“Back in the 80’s it was really an amazing thing to witness how Michael’s career took off. I watched him in those early pictures and I was stunned,” said Scorsese. He said seeing Fox on the screen for the first time was something like watching James Cagney in “Public Enemy.” “Michael is a powerhouse who was made for movies.”
“Pay attention to the amount of work he’s done since his Parkinson’s diagnosis,” Scorsese continued. “He’s become a guiding light for so many others with Parkinson’s — that includes my wife Helen. Michael, your support has meant the world to her and me.”
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Davis Guggenhiem, director of the new documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” presented Fox with his lifetime achievement award.
“I’ll turn into a pumpkin in about five minutes, so I’m trying to beat that,” Fox said, starting his acceptance speech. “I had a couple of people before that asked to tell my life story and they were crying before they even got to me. And I was like, ‘Wipe up and I’ll catch you later.’”
“But Davis got it,” Fox said. “I have so many great things in my life. I don’t have a weepy, sad life. I have this thing that happened which really sucks, but it put me in a position to do other things that were effective and perhaps will make things better.”
Fox talked about his love of acting and film, how directors and DPs elevated his work to levels he never imagined and how, without it, he would be lost. He ended his speech with a nice joke: “What did the snail say when he rode on the turtles back? ‘Weeee!’ It’s all perspective.”
Friends of Fox shared their congratulations with him via video.
“Life is very unfair. It’s unfair that a very gifted man was struck with Parkinson’s.” said Richard Kind, Fox’s former co-star in “Spin City.” “But it’s also unfair that one man should be gifted with all that talent, when we’re all trying so hard to be talented and he does it with such ease.”
“To this day, every time I start a new job, I think about the on-the-job training I got from you and how that was life changing for me,” said Connie Britton, who was another one of Fox’s “Spin City” co-stars. “I know I speak for millions when I say what an incredible impact you’ve had on all of us. Mostly, I’m just really proud that I get to say that Michael J. Fox is my friend and my teacher.”
The awards took place in Queens, New York on Tuesday evening. Filmmaker John Wilson was also honored at the Moving Image Awards.