Who is Tracy Pollan?
The comedy drama series “Family Ties“ started airing in 1982, and three years later, fans get to know a new character, Ellen Reed, a young and beautiful college girl, who becomes the love interest of Alex P. Keaton, one of the main characters. In 1987, Ellen Reed made her last appearance in the episode “It’s My Party: Part 2”, and people wanted to know the reason why this character was off the show.
The actress who portrayed this character was the one who decided that it was her time to leave the show, and refused to sign a new two-year contract because, as she said, there were too many other projects she wanted to pursue.
If you ever wondered what happened to her after she left “Family Ties”, let us tell you all about the life of Tracy Pollan.
She is a producer, and an actress with over 30 credits to her name, and besides the mentioned role, she is perhaps known best for her roles in movies such as “A Stranger Among Us”, “1st to Die”, and “Bright Lights, Big City”, among others.
Early life, family, and education
Tracy Pollan was born under the zodiac sign of Cancer on 22 June 1960, in Long Island, New York City USA; she holds American nationality although she comes from a family of Russian Jewish descent, and was raised in the faith by her parents Corinne ‘Corky’ Elaine and Stephen Michael Pollan, alongside her brother and two sisters.
Tracy’s mother was a famous editor who worked for New York Magazine, and her father was a financial consultant, while her brother, Michael Pollan, is an author and journalist. Her sisters, Lori and Dana, are both writers, and the two of them, Tracy and their mother, released a book in 2014, entitled “The Pollan Family Table”, a cookbook of family recipes.
Talking of Tracy’s educational background, she attended Dalton School, in Manhattan, New York, and upon matriculating in 1978, studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio, and later enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Institute, a famous acting school.
Roles in movies
Tracy made her acting debut in the 1982 movie “For Lovers Only“, followed by her roles in the movies “Baby, It’s You”, “Sessions”, and “Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer” in 1983, and then in the following year, she was seen as Suzanne in “A Good Sport”, and as Mary Beth Phillips in “The Baron and the Kid”.
In 1985, Tracy was cast to play Nicki Davis in “The Little Sister”, also starring John Savage and Roxanne Hart, followed by her roles in a few TV movies, before she was cast to play Mary in the 1987 drama movie “Promised Land”, and was next seen as Vicky in “Bright Lights, Big City”.
In the early ‘90s, Tracy mostly acted in TV movies – in 1992, she was cast to play Mara in the romantic crime drama “A Stranger Among Us”, also starring Melanie Griffith, John Pankow, and Eric Thal, with Tracy nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.
From 1995 until 2005, Tracy was seen starring in numerous TV movies, including “Anna Says” (1999) and “1st to Die” (2003), while in the following years, she was cast to play in “Natalee Holloway” (2009), and was then seen in its sequel “Justice for Natalee Holloway” in 2011. Her most recent movie role was her portrayal of Dianne in “Good Grief” in 2020.
Roles in series
Tracy made her first television appearance portraying Jen Robbins in an episode of the series “ABC Afterschool Specials” in 1984, and then she was cast to play Ellen Reed in “Family Ties”, also starring Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross; the series had 43 award nominations, and won 23, including five Primetime Emmys.
When she left “Family Ties” in 1989, Tracy next appeared as Kathleen Kennedy in the TV mini-series “The Kennedys of Massachusetts”, followed by her recurring role as Renee in “Spin City” from 1997 until 1998, and she was then cast to play Harper Anderson in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, which in 2000 brought her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Tracy’s next role came in 2009, when she portrayed Caitlyn Lynch in the series “Medium”, and then in the following year, she guest-starred as Patricia Caruso in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, while in 2013, she was seen as Kelly in “The Michael J. Fox Show”, and three years later, she was seen as herself in the comedy series “Nightcap”, created by and starring Alexandra Wentworth.
Tracy’s most recent role was her portrayal of Sherry Reed in the 2022 TV mini-series “Inventing Anna”, also starring Anna Chlumsky, Julia Garner and Arian Moayed, which was broadcast on Netflix.
Love life and marriage
Tracy hasn’t been the subject of any rumors or controversies concerning her love life and her sexual orientation; it’s widely known that before she met her future husband, she was in a long-term relationship with actor Kevin Bacon, in the ’80s.
Tracy met Michael J. Fox when she was cast for her role in “Family Ties”, however, although she played his girlfriend in the series, in real-life she didn’t like Michael, and were both seeing other people.
In 1988, Tracy and Michael reconnected on the set of the movie “Bright Lights, Big City”, and by that time, both were single, and they soon started dating – he proposed to her after seven months, and they tied the knot on 16 July 1988. The wedding was held at West Mountain Inn in Arlington, Vermont, and despite their efforts, the location of the wedding leaked, and paparazzi arrived in helicopters to take photos of their big day.
They have four children together, – their first son, Sam, was born in 1989, their twin daughters Schuyler Frances and Aquinnah Kathleen in 1995, while their youngest, Esme Annabell, was born in 2001.
Tracy’s and Michael’s marriage is known as ‘the least scandalous Hollywood marriage’, since after over 30 years, they are still together and still seemingly in love just as they were at the beginning of their love story.
After three years of their marriage, Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and he uses every opportunity to thank his wife for staying by his side all of these years. He had a drinking problem at that time, and Tracy was the one who helped him become sober.
As of June 2022, Tracy and Michael are still married, and live in their residence in Quogue, New York.
Age, height, and net worth
Tracy’s age is 62, and has blonde hair and blue eyes; she weighs around 140lbs (63kgs) and is 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with vital statistics of 34-25-36.
Thanks to her acting career, Tracy has accumulated decent wealth for herself, so according to sources, as of June 2022, her net worth has been estimated at over $2 million, while her husband, Michael J. Fox, has a net worth estimated at $65 million.
