I have a new hero.

I don't know if any of you watch Inside the Actors Studio, if not, you missed something amazing on Sunday night.

I am a child of the eighties, and even if your not, you can't tell me you can't name at least one movie with Michael J. Fox in it. Who here doesn't remember him surfing down a sunny street on top of a van in all of his werewolf glory? Or sliding on his knees cranking out "Johnny Be Good", at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Alex P. Keaton is a name I will never forget.

I learned on Sunday night that 1/3 of all house holds in the US tuned in weekly to watch Family Ties. At it's highest point of popularity even Seinfeld was watched by less than 20%. And to think, that Michael J. Fox was not their first choice!

I must admit, when he came out and began to speak I was slightly taken aback. He sounded different to me. He was a little quicker with his speech and frankly I was slightly embarrassed for him, thinking for a quick moment about the man he used to be. I am horrified and ashamed to admit that I thought that, I continued to watch and was proven wrong every minute for the next hour. I was charmed by his signature wit, and amazed at how humble he is. He was eloquent and seemed to really enjoy walking down memory lane.

He told the story of negotiating his contract for Family Ties, in a phone booth out side of Pioneer Chicken. Because at the time he didn't have a phone, or money to go into Pioneer Chicken. But there he was telling them that he couldn't do it for under $3000 a week. It was an amusing story, with a lot of humility to it.

As a childhood actor he managed to avoid being careened into that fiery pit of hell that usually engulfs young actors. That alone deserves tremendous praise.

He did talk briefly about being diagnosed and leaving Spin City because the disease had progressed to a point that he could no longer really hide it. It was also surprising to hear him talk about the disease as a gift as well. "The gift that just keeps on taking" said with a grin. I was in love all over again. He amazed me. He appeared over the next few moment to get shaky and distracted. He stood up and asked the audience and James for two minutes. Explaining as he was walking off that this was something that he couldn't do while taping Spin City.

He came back, much smoother, and more at ease. He told a small joke about it being a great thing when the drugs kick in, and he moved on. It was inspiring to say the least. He was so thankful, for everything. Life has been good to him, and he knows it. But it was not with out an incredible amount of work on his behalf.

When asked about how me would describe Alex P. Keaton as a character , his answer was this: I always thought of him as a mansion made of rice paper, he looked amazing, he felt good about what he presented to the world. "But you could poke your finger through that anytime you wanted to."

I have a new hero. Check out his company: Michael J. Fox Foundation. You could have a new hero too.