There are acceptance speeches… and then there are moments that stop time. At the 2026 Actor Awards, when Michael J. Fox stepped to the microphone, the applause didn’t just echo — it rose

The “Back to the Future” actor honored his family at the top of the ceremony, after his peers gave him a huge round of applause in the room.

Michael J. Fox‘s peers warmly welcomed him to the 2026 Actor Awards, where the Hollywood icon and father of four gave an emotional speech about parenthood amid his battle with Parkinson’s disease

During the SAG-AFTRA union ceremony’s traditional introduction on Sunday — which usually sees a round of actors speak about their lives and careers at the start of the show — the Back to the Future star received a sustained ovation from attendees in the room when the camera cut from Kate Hudson to him.

“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!’”

Fox continued, “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.” (Fox and Pollan married in 1988 — three years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.)