# Tracy Pollan

Tracy Jo Pollan Fox (born June 22, 1960) is an American actress and author. She is known for playing Ellen Reed on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1985–1987) and Harper Anderson on the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Pollan married actor and activist Michael J. Fox in 1988, and has since occasionally acted. In film, she has starred in the dramas Baby It's You (1983) and Promised Land (1987), the tragedy Bright Lights, Big City (1988) and the crime drama A Stranger Among Us (1992). Her other television credits include two episodes of Spin City (1997–1998) and TV films such as First to Die (2003), Natalee Holloway (2009) and Justice for Natalee Holloway (2011).

## Early life

Pollan was born to a Jewish family on June 22, 1960 on Long Island. Her parents are Corky and Stephen Pollan, and she has a brother, Michael. She attended Syosset High School, and graduated from the Dalton School in Manhattan, New York. She studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio and the Lee Strasberg Institute.

## Personal life

Pollan met Michael J. Fox while working on Family Ties, and after beginning a relationship during the production of Bright Lights, Big City, they married on July 16, 1988. She then lessened her acting workload to focus on her marriage and family. They have four children together: a son, Sam; twin daughters, Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances; and a daughter, Esmé Annabelle. They reside in Manhattan. On June 22, 2024 (Pollan's 64th birthday), Schuyler married her longtime partner at Hayfield in the Catskill Mountains.

## Publications

In October 2014, Pollan, along with her two sisters and mother, co-authored The Pollan Family Table, a cookbook of family recipes, kitchen tips and cooking techniques. The foreword was written by her brother, Michael.
In 2019, Pollan co-authored a plant-based diet cookbook, Mostly Plants: 101 Delicious Flexitarian Recipes from the Pollan Family.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1983 | Baby It's You | Leslie |
| 1987 | Promised Land | Mary Daley |
| 1988 | Bright Lights, Big City | Vicky Allagash |
| 1992 | A Stranger Among Us | Mara |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | For Lovers Only | | Television film |
| 1983 | Sessions | Leslie | Television film |
| 1983 | Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer | Eileen Grafton | Television film |
| 1984 | A Good Sport | Suzanne | Television film |
| 1984 | The Baron and the Kid | Mary Beth Phillips | Television film |
| 1984 | ABC Afterschool Special | Jen Robbins | Episode: "The Great Love Experiment" |
| 1986 | The Little Sister | Nicki Davis | Television film |
| 1985–1987 | Family Ties | Ellen Reed | Recurring role |
| 1986 | American Playhouse | Nicki Davis | Episode: "The Little Sister" |
| 1987 | The Abduction of Kari Swenson | Kari Swenson | Television film |
| 1987 | A Special Friendship | Elizabeth Van Lew | Television film |
| 1990 | The Kennedys of Massachusetts | Kathleen Kennedy | Miniseries; main role |
| 1990 | Fine Things | Elizabeth Kathleen "Liz" O'Reilly | Television film |
| 1993 | Dying to Love You | Lisa Ann Rohn | Television film |
| 1994 | Children of the Dark | Kim Harrison | Television film |
| 1997–1998 | Spin City | Renee Miller | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Anna Says | Anna | Television pilot; also executive producer |
| 2000 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Harper Anderson | Episodes: "Closure" and "Closure, Part 2" |
| 2003 | Hench at Home | Kay Hench | Television film |
| 2003 | First to Die | Lindsay Boxer | Television film |
| 2009 | Medium | Caitlyn Lynch | Episode: "How to Make a Killing in Big Business" |
| 2009 | Natalee Holloway | Beth Holloway | Television film |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Patricia Caruso | Episode: "Traffic" |
| 2011 | Justice for Natalee Holloway | Beth Holloway | Television film |
| 2013 | The Michael J. Fox Show | Kelly | Episode: "Neighbor" |
| 2016 | Nightcap | Herself | Episode: "The Cannon" |
| 2020 | Goodbye, Jonathan! | Barbara | Episode: "The Creator" |
| 2022 | Inventing Anna | Sherry Reed | Episode: "A Wolf in Chic Clothing" |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980–1981 | Album | Peggy | Cherry Lane Theatre |
| 1985 | Pack of Lies | Julie Jackson | Royale Theatre |
| 1988 | Woman in Mind | Lucy | New York City Center |
| 1992 | Jake's Women | Molly (age 21) | Neil Simon Theatre |

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Tracy Pollan :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| Golden Raspberry Awards | 1993 | Worst Supporting Actress | A Stranger Among Us | Nominated | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2000 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Nominated | |