The NBC sitcom ‘Family Ties’ ran for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989--a decade-defining piece of pop culture.
Michael J. Fox played ambitious young Republican Alex P. Keaton, eager to push back against his liberal parents. Justine bateman played his sister Mallory, who favored fashion over academics.
It’s hard to grasp now--even if you were around in the days when TV was dominated by just three big broadcast networks--the kind of fame that came with being on a hit sitcom.
In her book ‘Fame,’ Justine Bateman describes it vividly--the overwhelming impact of suddenly gaining it and slowly losing it.
After ‘Family Ties,’ Bateman continued to act before moving more into writing and producing, especially in the digital space.
She started as a freshman at UCLA in her mid-40’s to get a degree in computer science--which she completed in 2016. She also directed a short film that premiered at Toronto last year.
As all that was happening, Bateman continued to gather her thoughts on fame. She shares with us what she’s learned from years of thinking about the evolution of fame in America, and living it herself.
Justine Bateman, author of 'Fame.' Photo credit: Steven Meiers.