Who Are Michael J Fox's Four Children?

Michael J. Fox may have reluctantly entered a second retirement in 2020 but, over the course of his celebrated career, the beloved actor has more than made his mark as a hero both onscreen and in real life. Fox's roles in 1980s classics like "Back to the Future" and "Teen Wolf" made him a teen heartthrob, he showed off his voice acting chops in flicks like "Stuart Little" and "Atlantis: the Lost Empire," and the actor has dedicated his life to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease, which Fox has sadly suffered from for more than half his life. 

But the eighties icon's legacy is more than just Marty McFly or even The Michael J. Fox Foundation — it's also his four kids, all of whom Fox shares with his longtime wife and one-time "Family Ties" co-star Tracy Pollan. Their first child, and only son, was born around one year into their marriage. Fox's life-changing diagnosis came just two years later. 

"We had talked about having more kids, and for a while there, every time I brought it up, she changed the subject," the actor sadly recalled to Good Housekeeping, during a 2009 interview. "And then one day we were watching Sam run through the bushes with one of his cousins, and Tracy turned to me and said, 'He'd be a great brother.' I knew then that she was ready to have more kids; that she trusted me [enough] to have more kids with me." 

Sam Michael Fox was born on May 30, 1989, just six short months before his dad returned to the silver screen as Marty McFly in "Back to the Future Part II." Not only would Michael J. Fox's eldest son grow up to look just like him, but Sam has also dabbled in showbusiness as well. Sam is credited as a producer on the 2020 short film "Good Grief," which co-stars his mother, Tracy Pollan; as well as on the music video for Ben Barnes' 2011 song "11:11," which features Barnes himself opposite his "Westworld" co-star Evan Rachel Wood. Sam also worked as a crew member on the hit 2024 Netflix series "Dead Boy Detectives." But Sam has another notable talent: Helping his dad battle online trolls.

During a late-2020 appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" Michael J. Fox recalled an incident where someone on social media made a disparaging remark about Parkinson's disease. While the actor admitted that comments like that don't usually bother him, he felt compelled to reply to this one particular individual, but the lovable eighties star didn't know what to say. Taking some advice from his son, Michael simply wrote "SMH," despite having no idea what it meant. According to the actor, the troll immediately and profusely apologized, which he found absolutely hilarious. Still, it was only after all was said and done that Sam explained to his father that "SMH" meant "shaking my head."

Although Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan ultimately decided they were ready for more kids, the happy couple got a bit of a surprise when it came time for Pollan to go in for an ultrasound. "We got the sonogram, and it was twins," Michael shared with Good Housekeeping, adding, "That's when you kinda knew. An extra one, a bonus baby." Aquinnah Kathleen Fox and Schuyler Frances Fox were born on February 15, 1995. But while Michael J. Fox's twin daughters are all grown up now, they don't appear especially interested in courting the spotlight, and tend to keep a low profile online too. 

That said, Aquinnah and Schuyler have been spotted attending their dad's charity events with the rest of their family over the years. The twins also appeared alongside their two other siblings in the "Back to the Future" star's 2023 documentary "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie." Of course, he still publicly celebrates Aquinnah and Schuyler when the situation calls for it, such as in February 2024, when the "Spin City" star took to Instagram to wish the twins a happy 29th birthday. 

Later that year, at Los Angeles Comic Con, Michael also rather humorously revealed that he wasn't sure if Aquinnah and Schuyler (or their younger sister Esmé, for that matter) had ever actually seen the second "Back to the Future" movie, in which he plays multiple roles — including Marty McFly's own daughter, Marlene McFly.

On November 3, 2001, when Sam Fox was 12 and his twin sisters Aquinnah and Schuyler Fox were six, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan welcomed their fourth child, another daughter named Esmé Annabelle Fox. "Tracy and I were both in our early 40s and decided, well, it just needs to be a little noisier!" the "Teen Wolf" star quipped during his chat with Good Housekeeping. Michael's youngest daughter has grown up to be gorgeous, though much like her older sisters Esmé tends to keep her life relatively private. 

That said, similar to Sam, she's also dipped her toe into the family business, making appearances in the TV shows "Royally" and "Bettor Days" in 2017 and 2021, respectively, as well as in the mockumentary "Casting Chloe" in 2018. In late 2019, Michael revealed that Esmé had reached a major milestone, which also meant that he and his wife were going to have a little more free time. "Our youngest is going off to college, so we are going to be empty nesters, so... we are going to do some traveling!" the beloved actor proudly told People. 

Of course, this was just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's likely that neither Esmé's foray into higher education nor her parents' plans went exactly as they'd originally anticipated. Esmé appears to be thriving regardless. In November 2024, Michael once again took to Instagram, this time wishing his youngest daughter a happy 23rd birthday.