Michael J. Fox says he had to pick food out of rubbish bins to survive before he became famous

Michael J. Fox is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood.

However, he had to really struggle before he became a household name in Tinseltown.

The Back to the Future star went to Los Angeles when he was just a teenager with big hopes and dreams of becoming a star.

His acting prowess shined through when he was at high school, however he decided to leave his studies early and head towards the bright lights and big city.

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He told Variety: “I knew that if I wanted to be someone, I couldn’t just sit on my parents’ porch and think, ‘Boy, if I was only born in the States and my parents had money and weren’t living paycheck to paycheck, I could do something with my life'.

So he left his home and everything he knew and headed to Los Angeles.

However, he quickly realised how difficult it was to make it in Hollywood.

Fox auditioned all over the place, however he was either rejected or the gig failed to propel him into the celebrity stratosphere.

In his wide-ranging interview with Variety, he said things became really dire.

"I was living on the margins," he recalled.

"I was 18 years old, with no money, no connections, literally dumpster diving for food."

Despite his struggles, he knew deep down inside of him there was a star waiting to be unleashed on the world.

Fox reflected what it was like to be on the set of his feature film debut in 1980.

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He said: "I was sitting around with all these actors, and I remember thinking, ‘Why is this going to work for me and not for them?’

“It’s not that I wished them unhappiness or bad luck — I wished them all the success in the world. But I knew I was going to make it. God knows why."

Sure enough, he had what it took and he's been in countless projects on the big and small screen.

Two years after he had his big break on Midnight Madness, he scored a role on Family Ties and this was the show that helped launch his career.

It wasn't long before he landed the character of Marty McFly on Back to the Future, and the rest is history.

Thanks to his unwavering belief in his own abilities, he managed to rise above the crowd of actors wanting to become A-listers and etched his name into history.