Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollan‘s lasting love has helped them navigate the biggest challenges, including his battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The Back to the Future star received his diagnosis in 1991, three years after he married Pollan. While reflecting on his health journey in the trailer for his 2023 documentary, Still, Fox remembered breaking the news to his spouse.
“I told Tracy … ‘In sickness and in health,’ I remember her whispering,” Fox said in a voiceover. “No one outside of my family knew. … But all those years of hiding was shaking me awake.”
The couple met while working together on season 4 of Family Ties in 1985. Pollan played Ellen Reed, the love interest of Fox’s Alex P. Keaton. Their real-life romance officially began after they reunited on the big screen for the drama Bright Lights, Big City.
Fox and Pollan — who share children Samuel, Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé — have remained each other’s biggest champions over the years. While accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2022 Governors Awards, Fox — who previously retired from acting — sent a special shout-out to Pollan.
“Tracy made it clear she was with me for the duration,” he said on stage, later gesturing to his trophy. “I cannot believe I have been standing here for this long, it’s a miracle. I cannot walk and carry this thing. But I ask Tracy to once again carry the weight.”
Scroll down for a glimpse of Fox and Pollan’s romance over the years:
