How Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan Built a 37-Year Hollywood Love Story
Holy cups of espresso, you guys, I’m jittering just thinking about this! Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan’s romance kicked off on the set of Family Ties, and three decades plus four kids later, their partnership still sparkles brighter than any Hollywood marquee. Back in 1985 when Fox was blazing through theaters in Back to the Future, pollsters and paparazzi alike were swooning over Alex P. Keaton’s onscreen girlfriend, Ellen Reed, played by a fresh-faced 25-year-old Pollan. According to People magazine in 1986, Tracy brought an “old-fashioned relationship” vibe to the Reagan-era sitcom—unpretentious, optimistic, and sweet as a first crush.
At first, off-camera chemistry was barely simmering. Pollan, freshly off a five-year romance with Kevin Bacon, would hop straight back to her then-boyfriend the moment filming wrapped. In interviews she confessed she was “gushingly in love” with Bacon but felt too young to wed. Meanwhile, Fox was flying high in Hollywood, tooling around in a Mercedes, a Ferrari, and a Range Rover while juggling a relationship with Nancy McKeon from Facts of Life. He later admitted to O Magazine in 2002 that he was “really nuts” in those fast-lane days.
Rumor mills went haywire in late 1987, swirling tales of Fox romancing Courteney Cox when she joined Family Ties as Lauren Miller. The actor chuckled to People magazine that it was all “two actors having a good time.” Real sparks only ignited during their 1988 film Bright Lights, Big City, where long conversations and shared laughs turned flirtation into something serious. On December 26, 1987, just seven months after their secret dating began, Fox got down on one knee. He later told People that the biggest challenge wasn’t the proposal itself but keeping their engagement under wraps from prying eyes.
Their early wedded bliss faced a terrifying test in February 1988 when a stalker sent up to fifteen threatening letters a day. The messages forced Fox and Pollan to boost security and led to the woman’s eventual confinement in a psychiatric facility. Then, three years into their marriage in 1991, Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease. Instead of driving them apart, the struggle cemented their bond, and Pollan became his most steadfast advocate.
Today, they’re the proud parents of four children, and their 37th anniversary on July 16 became a global celebration of love, resilience, and laughter. From the Family Ties studio lot to fan-favorite interviews in People and O Magazine, their story reads like a classic Hollywood script written by fate. What could be next for this dynamic duo? Maybe a candid memoir, or an intimate docuseries. Either way, I swear I could talk about this all day!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People magazine, O Magazine, E! Online
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
