Michael J. Fox receives standing ovation as he accepts honorary Oscar for Parkinson's work

Michael J. Fox, who is best known for the 1980s TV comedy Family Ties and the Back to the Future movies, received an honorary Oscar over the weekend for his advocacy work.

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's, a nerve disorder that causes tremors and other symptoms, the 61-year-old actor founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to help fund the search for a cure, which has since raised US $1.5 billion.

"It is humbling in the deepest way to stand here and accept your kindness," the Canadian actor said on stage at the annual Governors Awards, where an A-list crowd of stars including Tom Hanks and Jennifer Lawrence gave him a standing ovation.

He continued: "Once I became engaged in learning about the disease, every interaction, every new piece of information I gathered, every researcher or NIH official I talked to, all confirmed, the science was ahead of the money. The answers could be unlocked with the right investments.

"I was told I only had 10 years left to work. That was s*****. That's what happened. The hardest part of my diagnosis was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation!"

Fox - who has been married to Tracy Pollan since 1989 and has children Sam, 33, Aquinnah, Schuyler, both 27, and 21-year-old Esme with her - was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 at the age of 29 but didn't go public with the news until 1998.

In a recent interview, Fox revealed that he's "in a really good groove" physically these days, but "every day is different."