Celebrity marriages are notorious for failing. In the last year, many couples have dragged each other’s names through the dirt, and the newspapers and magazines have had a lot to publish for their readers’ entertainment. One marriage seems to have lasted through thick and thin. In 2024, Michael J Fox and his wife, Tracy Pollan, will celebrate 36 years of their marriage. They decided to share the secrets of their successful love life.
Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan
Michael J Fox and Tracy do not come from similar backgrounds. Although they would both argue there are some crucial similarities that brought them closer together. Tracy comes from a well-known Jewish family in New York and is educated through the Lee Strasberg Institute. Michael on the other hand, only achieved his GED when he turned 30 as he dropped out of high school. What made them click was their sense of humor, as well as both being middle children. “Big families, middle children. Sense of humor. Both our families had that,” Fox told PEOPLE.
Meeting for the first time
The loving couple first met in 1985, although they only started dating a few years later. Pollan played Fox’s love interest for the TV show, Family Ties. Pollan only lasted one season on the show, but when they filmed Bright Lights, Big City in 1987. Fox took Pollan out on their first date, and one year later they tied the knot.
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A tight-knit family
Pollan said that she grew up in a tight-knit family. They stuck with each other through thick and thin, and that was how she and Fox constructed their own family’s values. “It was us against the world,” says Pollan. “That’s exactly what we’ve created.” Michael J Fox and Tracy have four children between them and the six of them are extremely close. Their youngest daughter, Esme, is 16 years old. Their middle children are 23-year-old twins, Schuyler and Aquinnah. Finally, their eldest son, Sam, is 29 years old.
Pollan and Parkinson’s
Things took a wild turn in 1991 when Michael J Fox was devastatingly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It is a neurodegenerative disease that seriously inhibits motor skills, and prevents one from functioning properly without assistance. The news took a toll on Michael’s mental health and he resorted to drinking as a coping mechanism. Pollan helped him through this period of his life, and saw it through until Fox became a dedicated Parkinson’s activist.
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What makes Michael J Fox and Tracy’s marriage successful?
PEOPLE asked the happily married couple of 30 years what they think contributes towards the success of their marriage. Pollan said: “Just give each other the benefit of the doubt. He assumes I’m doing the best I can.” She went on to say that people need to find the best qualities within each other and focus on those. “Find the best things about you and the best things about life and celebrate them,” she said. Pollan also mentioned how Fox helps her stress less. He has an optimistic perspective and approach to life that is a great contribution to her. “His optimistic worldview about everything is just so powerful. Michael doesn’t worry about the future. I’m completely the opposite.”
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