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Michael J. Fox Supported by His Family as He's Honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael J. Fox said his wife Tracy Pollan has 'one of the most clear minds' as he accepted a lifetime achievement award Tuesday

<p>Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty</p>

Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty

Michael J. Fox's family is standing by his side.

61-year-old Fox's wife Tracy Pollan and their twin daughters Aquinnah and Schulyer, both 28, accompanied the actor on Tuesday night as he attended the 2023 Spring Moving Image Awards in New York City to accept a lifetime achievement award.

"I have so many great things in my life, Tracy and Aquinnah and Schuyler, and Sam and Esmé who aren’t here," Fox told an audience at the Museum of the Moving Image as he accepted a lifetime achievement award at the event, noting that his oldest son Sam and youngest daughter Esmé were not in attendance. "I don't know. I don't have a weepy, sad life. This thing happened, which really sucked, but it put me in a position to do other things that were effective and perhaps make things better."

"But what I like about sitting here tonight is it seems to be about acting and about film and I love acting and I love film," he continued.

The actor offered sweet compliments to Pollan's advice as both a wife and a fellow actor.

Related: Michael J. Fox Shares Sweet Photos with All Four of His Kids Over Memorial Day Weekend

<p>Slaven Vlasic/Getty</p>

Slaven Vlasic/Getty

"Tracy has one of the most clear minds. I talk about it as it applies to the family in the film, but as an actor, always, like, I'll do something and she’ll go 'ehhh, well,' " Fox said of Pollan, whom he has been married to since 1988. "But then when she said, 'That was great,' my heart soared."

Before Fox appeared in front of the audience Tuesday, Martin Scorsese introduced the star with a speech at the event, calling the actor a "wonderful and courageous human being."

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"Michael was a powerhouse. He was made for movies. Further, he has a great genius for comedy," the filmmaker told an audience at the event. "We all saw that from the start, which is on television and all that, and of course in the Back to the Future films, and in many movies and series since then."

While speaking with PEOPLE on the red carpet at Tuesday's event, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim — who directed the recent documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Story — said that he found that Fox "didn't start out to be a hero" while discussing the actor's legacy.

Related: Michael J. Fox Jokes About &#39;Weird&#39; &#39;Back to the Future&#39; Mother-Son Plot: &#39;I Realized It Was Bizarre&#39;

Frazer Harrison/Getty
Frazer Harrison/Getty

"He didn't start out to say I'm going to start the foundation and inspire millions of people. He started wanting to be rich and famous. To be a big movie star," Guggenheim told PEOPLE. "So what's interesting is when Parkinson's comes, it's this terrible thing and yet it's the thing that calls him towards a better, more interesting, more profound life."

"So that's really interesting to me. We don't set out to be inspired or heroic," he added. "Our life sort of pushes us in that direction if we listen."

The actor was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 and went public with his diagnosis seven years later. In 2009, the actor spoke with Good Housekeeping about how the disease has affected his family life.

"If I'm reaching for something, they'll just do it and carry on," he said of his kids. "[They have learned] empathy, resilience, and also sorting out what's important from what's not — things like vanity."

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is streaming on AppleTV+ now.

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