Michael J. Fox’s emotional Emmys speech sparks standing ovation as he accepts Bob Hope Humanitarian award

Michael J. Fox moved the audience as he took to the Emmys stage to accept a prestigious humanitarian award.

The legendary actor, who famously starred as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, has dedicated much of his life to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease after being diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 29.

Five-time Emmy award winner Fox was presented with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award by his The Good Wife co-star Julianna Margulies.

The honour, which recognises outstanding philanthropic efforts, has been presented just six times in Emmys history.

Previous recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Danny Thomas, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.

“I can think of no one more deserving than Michael,” Margulies said in her introduction.

Fox was honoured “in recognition of his transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy”.

The 65-year-old accepted the award from a wheelchair as the crowd erupted into applause, giving him a well-deserved standing ovation.

“Thank you to everyone involved for this amazing and humbling honour,” Fox began.

“When it starts to get tough, you show up, you help and if you could add a little joy while you’re doing it, that’s even better.”

Fox spoke about the award’s namesake, Bob Hope, and the entertainer’s tireless dedication to helping people.

“I learned from his example. I couldn’t have known how these lessons would resonate in my own life, until my late 20s, when my life handed me a role I wasn’t looking for,” Fox continued.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and went public with his diagnosis in 1998. Two years later, he founded The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

By 2022, the foundation had reportedly committed more funding to Parkinson’s research than the US government.