The Kids of Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan Are the Spitting Image of Their Famous Parents

Getty Images | ROBYN BECK

Actor and activist Michael J. Fox and his wife, Tracy Pollan, share four apples that have not fallen very far from the tree when it comes to appearances. The couple’s children are dead ringers for their famous parents, and netizens are talking about it.

Michael and Tracy have been married since 1988 and have four children together: Sam Michael, aged 30; twins Schuyler Frances and Aquinnah Kathleen, aged 25; and Esme Annabelle, aged 18.

On Jan. 18, 2020, Tracy shared a photo of herself with her youngest daughter, Esme, on Instagram. Many fans, bowled over by the incredible likeness between mom and daughter, rushed to comment on their resemblance.

“Sisters?” wrote one person. Another commented, “Beautiful picture! She’s so like you.”

Michael J. Fox and his daughter, Esme, light the Empire State Building to raise awareness for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in New York City on April 8, 2011. ©Getty Images | Andrew H. Walker

While Esme may be the spitting image of her mother, many think that older brother Sam, of all four siblings, most closely resembles their father. In family photos, Sam looks uncannily like his dad, Michael.

At the age of 30, Sam’s side-swept hair and recognizable grin are reminiscent of his father’s iconic role as Marty McFly in the hit film trilogy of the 1980s “Back to the Future.” Sam, however, has so far resisted the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.

(L–R) Schuyler, Sam, Esme, and Aquinnah Fox on the red carpet of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's benefiting The Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Hilton New York on Nov. 11, 2017 ©Getty Images | Nicholas Hunt

While he didn’t choose to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming an actor, Sam did grace an awards ceremony stage as “Mister Golden Globe”—now known as the “Golden Globe Ambassador”—back in 2013. The visible role entailed handing out trophies to award winners and escorting them off the stage.

“Sam has never had any showbiz aspirations, so this was kind of out of the blue,” Michael commented, as per Yahoo, adding, “I love that he’s got the courage and the curiosity and the sense of adventure to do it.”

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan arrive at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 13, 2013. ©Getty Images | Jason Merritt

Besides the extraordinary likeness they share with their children, Michael and Tracy are famous for their long, happy marriage of over three decades. They claim their secret to success is mutual compatibility.

Michael explained, speaking to People, “Big families, middle children. Sense of humor. Both our families had that.”

“It was us against the world,” Tracy added, recalling her own family dynamic growing up. “That’s exactly what we’ve created.”

(L–R) Twins Schuyler and Aquinnah, Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan, Sam, and Esme on the red carpet of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's benefiting The Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Hilton New York on Nov. 10, 2018 ©Getty Images | Cindy Ord

Tracy also praised her husband’s optimistic worldview. “Michael doesn’t worry about the future,” she said. “I’m completely the opposite.”

Michael has been fighting Parkinson’s disease since being diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in 1991; he was just 29 years old at the time. The neurodegenerative disorder causes tremors, the freezing of muscles, and the gradual loss of control of the body’s motor functions.

Michael and his family, however, have not shied away from the public eye.

After initially struggling to come to terms with his diagnosis, Michael became an activist for fellow Parkinson’s sufferers, inaugurating the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000. The foundation aims to educate and raise awareness of the condition, and also raises crucial funds to aid in the search for a cure for the debilitating disease.

“I’d developed a relationship with Parkinson’s,” Michael explained to The New York Times, “where I gave the disease its room to do what it needed to do, and it left me areas I could still flourish in.”

Perhaps best of all, Michael maintained that his four kids love and accept him exactly the way he is. “[M]y Parkinson’s is the same to my children as my being an activist is,” he said. “It’s who I am.”