Like many others in showbiz, Justine Bateman has most definitely proved herself as much more than her ditzy “Family Ties” character. Unlike Mallory, in reality, Bateman is very intelligent and ambitious, excelling in many fields beyond acting. Despite her contract with “Family Ties,” which prevented her from attending college while the show was on air, Bateman found a way to excel as a non-traditional college student.
With the rise of widely popular digital video platforms like YouTube in the mid-2000s, Bateman quickly realized the importance of ‘long-form’ online media production. As a result, in 2012, Bateman enrolled herself as a student at UCLA, in order to study computer science and digital media management. In 2016, she would finally complete her degree at the age of 50.
Michael J. Fox and His Battle With Parkinson’s
Beyond his work in the world of acting, Michael J. Fox is, perhaps, even more recognized for his efforts to shed light on Parkinson’s Disease. Originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, at the young age of 29, Fox would not reveal this news to the public until nearly a decade after his initial diagnosis.
However, Fox has not let this disease consume his life. Since sharing his diagnosis with the world, Fox has done much to spread awareness about the disease in the hopes that the world may find a cure. Already, the actor turned philanthropist has raised millions of dollars for the cause.
Baby On Board!
Unknown to many, the actress Meredith Baxter—better known to “Family Ties” fans as Elyse Keaton—was actually pregnant during much of the show’s production! First discovering she was pregnant while “Family Ties” was in the process of being filmed, there were a number of things done to hide the fact that this pregnant actor did not play a pregnant character.
These include placing her in different clothes, lighting, camera angles, and even strategically placing props in a way that would hide her growing baby bump. However, despite the myriad of things done to hide her pregnancy, she was still written out of several episodes in season three.
Real-Life, Famous Family Ties
Like her character on “Family Ties,” in real life, Justine Bateman also has a brother: Jason Bateman. And you’ve probably heard of him too. Similar to Justine, Jason also rose to fame with the help of increasingly popular television sitcoms of the 1980s, such as "The Hogan Family” and “Silver Spoons.”
In addition to his earlier fans, Jason has also garnered international acclaim for his starring role as Michael Bluth on the hit series, “Arrested Development”. He has also taken on big roles in a number of Hollywood films, including Game Night (2018), Horrible Bosses (2011), Zootopia (voice role, 2016), The Change-Up (2001) and The Switch (2010).
A “Family Ties” Musical?
When it was announced in 2016 that the producer of the hit Broadway musical “Wicked” was in the process of creating a stage version of “Family Ties,” Justine Bateman made it clear she did not support the stage adaptation of the show.
Indeed, ever since the “Family Ties” play was announced, Bateman has not been shy to vocalize her disapproval, even taking to Twitter at one point to publicly express her obvious disapproval, writing “Ew, ew, ew, ew” in response to the producer’s announcement. First debuting in Ohio on June 1, 2017, the true reason why Bateman is not a fan remains a mystery to us.