About 35 years ago, Tracy Pollan promised to stand by Michael J. Fox “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health,” and she really meant it. When her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease just three years after they got married, Pollan stayed by his side and has been there for him every day.
Michael J. Fox gets emotional when he talks about how devoted his wife is. He says, “One of the things I’ll always love Tracy for is that at that moment, she didn’t hesitate.” They have an incredible bond that many people admire.
Michael J. Fox became famous playing the smart and ambitious character Alex P. Keaton on the TV show Family Ties from 1982 to 1989. He was seen as one of Hollywood’s best stars. He won a Golden Globe award. Girls all over the world thought he was cute and admired him.
But when he met Tracy Pollan, who played his girlfriend Ellen Reed on the award-winning comedy series that spanned seven seasons, it was game over.
Pollan, who is now 63 years old, and Fox, who is 62, got married in 1988 when he was at the peak of his career. This was when he was transitioning from his TV role to the famous movie character Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies.
In 1991, the same year his comedy film Doc Hollywood came out, Fox, who was 29 at the time and had won an Emmy Award, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
In November 2022, while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Fox talked about his tough journey with Parkinson’s disease.
“I was told I only had 10 years left to work. That was really tough. That’s what happened. The hardest part of my diagnosis was dealing with knowing it was for sure Parkinson’s and not knowing what would happen next,” Fox said. “I only knew it would get worse. The diagnosis was definite, but what would happen next was uncertain. My wife, Pollan, made it clear she was with me for as long as it took. But my young son, Sam, didn’t understand. He didn’t have a choice.”
The children
The couple has four children: son Sam Michael, who is 34, and twin daughters Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances, who are 29, and Esmé Annabelle, who is 22.
Talking about his kids in an interview, Fox said, “If I need help with something, they just jump in and help without making a big deal out of it.” He added, “They’ve learned to understand other people’s feelings, how to bounce back from tough times, and how to figure out what really matters and what doesn’t, like not caring too much about how you look.”
Fox has a strong bond with his grown-up kids, and they often appear on his Instagram account.
“Our kids are wonderful, caring, smart, understanding, strong, kind, and fun people,” he wrote in a Mother’s Day message to Pollan in May 2022. “That’s because of you. We all love you very much. Happy Mother’s Day.”
In sickness and in health
In March 2023, Pollan and Fox talked to People magazine about how they keep supporting each other and take care of their relationship.
“I think we really listen to each other and support each other when we need it,” Pollan said. “And sometimes we also give each other space when that’s what’s needed. We just try to understand what the other person needs at that moment and be there for them.”
Echoing that thought, Fox added, “Tracy provides everything our family needs. Any good in our family, any good thing we do, is because of her.”
In early November 2023, the Teen Wolf actor talked on CBS Mornings about how his supportive wife has been his biggest supporter for 35 years.
“It’s been great for me, I don’t know about her,” Fox joked. “I love Tracy, obviously. She’s an incredible person and has been through a lot. I understand she has her own life, separate from me having Parkinson’s or being Alex Keaton or Marty McFly. She’s her own person. I think that’s why things have worked out okay.”
The actor, who voiced Chance in the 1993 family movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, also talked about how Pollan continues to keep her wedding promises.
“I didn’t know what to expect after the diagnosis, and neither did she,” he said. “She showed her commitment to me when she said those wedding vows about being there for better or for worse, in sickness and in health… She helped me get through it, and she’s been by my side for 35 years.”
Fox adds, “She’s right there with me every single day, facing everything together. She never acts like she knows more than I do.”
Talking to Today in 2020, Fox, who was emotional while talking about Pollan, said, “One thing I’ll always love Tracy for is that when I got diagnosed, she didn’t hesitate.”
The actor, who has won many awards, started the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Their website says they’ve raised nearly $2 billion to help find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease, a disease that affects the brain and gets worse over time.
As for Fox, he’s still got a sharp mind.
“I’ll live on through my reruns. That gives me a touch of immortality,” says the charming icon.
