Back to the Future actor Michael J Fox has been honoured with his own star on Hollywood's legendary Walk of Fame.

The Canadian-born actor, 41 ,who has Parkinson's disease, has not been on TV screens recently after deciding to spend time with his family.

But he has been devoting time to campaigning for funding for research into the illness, with which he has lived for more than 10 years.

Fox's star is the 2,209th on Hollywood Boulevard

Fox who won a Golden Globe for TV comedy Spin City, unveiled his star on Monday - the 2,209th on the Hollywood strip.

"Acting is a great thing to do for a living, to do something you love, and to hear all the time that maybe you've done something to make people happy," he said.

"It's no more than that and it's no less than that. It's just that, and it's great," he added.

Voiceovers

Fox, who is married to actress Tracy Pollen, was one of the biggest movie stars of the 80s, appearing in movies such as Doc Hollywood, Teen Wolf and the Back to the Future trilogy.

Much of his acting work now is centred around voicing animated blockbusters such as Stuart Little and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Fox went public with his illness in 1998 but had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 1991 after realising something was wrong when he could not stop his hands shaking.

He has testified to Congress, alongside fellow sufferer Muhammad Ali, in the hope of securing better funding into research.

The actor has also set up his own foundation to help sufferers.

His struggle with Parkinson's was documented in his recent autobiography, which revealed it almost destroyed his marriage after he turned to drink after the diagnosis.