Michael J. Fox‘s loving relationship with his wife Tracy Pollan was one of the highlights of his unforgettable surprise speech at the 2026 Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) on March 1. He previously revealed in a “CBS Mornings” interview that Pollan having a “separate” life is one of the keys to creating the balance that is still working 35 years after the 64-year-old’s jarring diagnosis with young-onset Parkinson’s disease when he was just 29.
GettyWhile the pair have remained a couple, Fox indicated in the interview that Pollan is her own person and maintains an identity outside of his celebrity. He said in the interview, “She has a life separate and apart from me having Parkinson’s, separate and apart from me being Alex Keaton, or Marty McFly. She’s a person.”
How Tracy Pollan Reacted to Michael J. Fox’s Shock Diagnosis at 29
GettyFox went on in the 2024 interview to say he “had no idea what to expect” when it came to his diagnosis, but recalled, “She had indicated to me, ‘For better, for worse. In sickness and in health.’ That she was gonna hang on, get me through it. Go through it with me. And she has. For 35 years.”
Fox then gave a striking metaphor to describe the position he and Pollan were thrown into with the news of his condition: “We knew that a bus was coming. We didn’t know when or how fast it was coming before it hit us.”
Michael J. Fox Called Meeting His Wife ‘The Greatest Gift of My Career’
Michael J. Fox gave Pollan a loving shout out during his surprise speech at the Actor Awards. He said, “After two years of dumpster diving in L.A., I ended up on ‘Family Ties,’ where I received the biggest gift of my career. I met my wife, the actor Tracy Pollan, who played Ellen, my girlfriend. And she gave me four gifts. Schuyler, Aquinnah, Esmé, and Sam. Sometimes I like to remind them if it weren’t for acting, they wouldn’t be here.”
Before that, he humorously shared the clever comeback he used on a teacher who was skeptical of his acting dreams. “When I left school and moved from Canada to L.A. to make it as an actor, a teacher of mine told me, ‘Fox, you’re not gonna be cute forever.’ I didn’t know what to say to that, so that’s when I said, ‘Maybe just long enough sir,’ ” he reminisced.
Fox and Pollan seem to be one of Hollyweird’s most steady, balanced couples. Kudos to both for their hard work in respecting and taking care of each other.