Michael J. Fox Gushes Over Longtime Wife And 'Best Friend' Tracy Pollan

Nov 08, 2022 by apost team

Michael J. Fox continues to inspire people across the globe with Parkinson’s disease, becoming a symbol of hope for everyone going through the same challenges of the health condition.

Fox is a beloved actor who’s been in the spotlight since the 1980s. Despite his tragic Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in the early 1990s, when he was only 29, Fox has had the support of his wife and fellow actress Tracy Pollan.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 1961, Fox took an interest in acting early on in his life, and after filming the Canadian sitcom “Leo and Me,” he headed off to Los Angeles in 1979 to make it big. Clearly, the folks in LA could see the potential in him because before long, he was cast as Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties,” which ran from 1982 to 1989. 

For the longest time, Fox has played a huge role in helping raise more than a billion dollars for the foundation he established, the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1991.

Through it all, Fox has had the love and support of his wife. Even after all these years, he can't stop gushing over her. In Hollywood, being married for 34 years is certainly a rarity, but in the case of Fox and his wife Pollan, it truly seems like they are meant to be. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in November 2020, the “Back To The Future” star opened up about how his wife continues to be his best friend and support system through all the ups and downs in his life. 

After being married for more than three decades, there is still tremendous love between Fox and Pollan. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Fox gushed over his "beautiful" wife, calling her the "rock that keeps giving" in his life. The two first met on the sets of "Family Ties,” where they played each others' love interests and tied the knot at West Mountain Inn in Arlington, Virginia, in July 1988. 

“She puts up with me,” Fox told ET about Pollan, “She doesn't cut me any slack, which is great. She’s honest, affectionate, kind, smart and she's just there in a pinch. She's beautiful and I love her and she's sexy and gorgeous.”

He continued: “She's a great mother, great cook and great bodyboard surf junkie beach babe,” and added: “She's just cool. She's my best friend. And, she's got a sense of humor!” Those are the words of a man in love, we say! 

The two have certainly been through a lot together. The year 2020 also marked almost three decades since Fox first revealed to his wife that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 29. In an interview with Today, he said that her reaction at the time moved him to tears. 

"We didn't know what to expect," Fox told Today. "One of the things I'll always love Tracy for is that at that moment, she didn't blink." For the couple, a sense of humor has been one of the main things that have kept the spark in their marriage alive, as well as help them through tough times. 

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"Well, Tracy's amazing," he told Today, "She's there in the front lines with me every single day. She never pretends to know as much as I know. And the other thing Tracy does is, if there's something funny, let's get to the funny. We'll deal with the tragic later."

In another interview with People, Fox reiterated humor's role in his family and in his marriage. “Every day we have something we laugh about for a good two minutes,” he said. He also spoke about Pollan's role in his life, adding, "The kind of support she gives me, I feel like a husband, a father and a friend first, and then somewhere way down the line, I’m someone with Parkinson’s."

Back in 2015, Fox spoke about his marriage with People after celebrating his 27th anniversary. He added that another secret of a long-lasting marriage is "giving each other the benefit of doubt." Pollan also said, "You just have (to have) the perspective that you’re behind each other’s back – and it helps if you can make each other laugh."

For Pollan, her husband's ability to make her laugh is one of her favorite things about him, along with the fact that "he’s an amazing father … he’s one of the smartest people I know … and he’s pretty cute still!"

He shares four children with his wife: Sam, 33, twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, 27, and daughter Esmé, 21. Fox told Entertainment Tonight that the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic had allowed him to spend a lot of quality time with his family. 

“When we were quarantined from the middle of March through to Labor Day, we were all together and it's just amazing," Fox shared. "What sticks with me is all the movies we watched and puzzles we did and all the time we spent with each other after dinner.”

“Tracy would make meals and we'd sit around afterwards for hours having conversations about the world and social justice and all kinds of things that came up in the outside world,” he continued. “I was just amazed.”

In the three decades that he has battled Parkinson's disease, he has leaned on his family for support, and they have always been there. "My kids are adults now,” the “Back to the Future” star told People. “I never held back about my situation before, but now I really can speak plainly.”

Speaking with People in 2021, Fox talked about what it was like to be an empty nester following his and Pollan’s youngest child heading off to college. “We get more food,” he jokingly said. “They’re not taking it all.”

When asked what the secret to his and Pollan’s longtime marriage was, Fox shared, “Like each other.” Pollan added, “We enjoy each other’s company and we just have fun together and so it’s not that hard for us, we’re lucky.”

Hearing about Fox's relationship with his wife and family is definitely giving us all the feels. It is inspiring to see such a strong bond between a couple, their dedication to each other through difficult times, and their emphasis on keeping a strong family unit. We wish Fox and his wife, Pollan the very best for their future! 

What do you think about this beautiful relationship? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family so they, too, can be inspired by this love story!