Michael J. Fox posts birthday tribute as Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd turns 88
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The gist
Michael J. Fox posted a birthday tribute to Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd, who turned 88.
The exchange revives the Marty McFly–Doc Brown pairing for fans of the 1985 film.
Background
Michael J. Fox is the actor who played Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985) and its 1989 and 1990 sequels; he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000. Christopher Lloyd, also known for Taxi, played Doc Brown opposite him. The two have stayed close publicly, reuniting at New York Comic Con in 2022 and speaking for Interview Magazine in September 2026 about Lloyd's memoir In My Own Time. Lloyd's 88th birthday fell the day after Back to the Future Day, the annual October 21 celebration named for the date the characters visit in the second film.
How it unfolded
- 1985Fox played Marty McFly opposite Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown in the original Back to the Future, followed by sequels in 1989 and 1990.
- 1991Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which he revealed in 1998.
- 2000Fox established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
- Oct 8, 2022Fox and Lloyd appeared at a Back to the Future Reunion at New York Comic Con.
- 2023Fox told Variety that he and Lloyd connected on Back to the Future Part III in a way they hadn't on the other films.
- Sep 1, 2026Fox interviewed Lloyd in Santa Barbara for Interview Magazine about Lloyd's memoir In My Own Time.
- Oct 21, 2026Back to the Future Day, the annual October 21 celebration named for the date the characters visit in 2015 in the second film.
- Oct 22, 2026Christopher Lloyd turned 88; Fox posted a birthday tribute and Lloyd replied.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Lloyd replied "We truly are timeless. Love you friend," and wrote in his own post that "the power of love remains."
- Expert
- Fox has said Lloyd "has been there a lot for me" through his life with Parkinson's disease, and that the two connected most while making Part III.
Still unverified
Fox has a theory about what happened to the missing Gibson ES-345 guitar, but the guitar's whereabouts remain unknown and Gibson is still searching for it.