Michael J.Fox to star in TV comedy as dad with Parkinson's

Actor Michael J. Fox, who stepped back from full-time acting in 2000 to focus on fighting Parkinson's disease, will star in a new TV comedy loosely based on his own life suffering from the illness.

NBC television said on Monday it had ordered a full 22 episodes of an untitled comedy series starring the "Spin City" and "Back to the Future" actor for the fall of 2013.

The show will feature Fox as a husband and father of three from New York City dealing with family, career, and challenges including the degenerative nervous system disorder, Parkinson's disease.

"He (Fox) is utterly relatable, optimistic, and in a class by himself, and I have no doubt that the character he will create - and the vivid family characters surrounding him - will be both instantly recognizable and hilarious," NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement.

Fox, 51, made his name in the 1980s TV comedy "Family Ties" and as teen adventurer Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" movie franchise.

He later starred in TV political comedy "Spin City," winning multiple acting awards, but semi-retired from acting in 2000 as his symptoms of Parkinson's worsened and he focused his efforts on research for a cure.

In recent years, the Canadian actor has done voice-over work for movies like "Stuart Little" and has guest starred in TV shows like the comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and legal drama "The Good Wife."

Filming for the new sitcom will begin this year, with casting for other roles to be announced later, NBC said.