Michael J. Fox became one of the biggest stars of the 1980s.

But behind Back to the Future, Family Ties and all the Hollywood attention, there was one woman who became far more important to him than fame ever could.

Tracy Pollan.

They first met in 1985 when Tracy joined Family Ties as Ellen Reed, the girlfriend of Fox’s character, Alex P. Keaton.

But their real-life romance didn’t begin immediately.

It wasn’t until they worked together again on Bright Lights, Big City that everything changed. They began dating, and within months Fox knew he wanted to marry her.

On July 16, 1988, Michael and Tracy exchanged vows in a private Vermont ceremony.

Then life gave those vows a meaning neither of them could have imagined.

Just a few years into their marriage, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at only 29.

He later recalled telling Tracy the devastating news.

Her response was simple.

She reminded him of the promise they had made: “In sickness and in health.”

And she stayed.

The decades that followed weren’t a Hollywood fairy tale. There were frightening moments, career changes, physical challenges and four children to raise.

But they kept choosing each other.

Fox has said that one of the remarkable things about Tracy is that she knows the person behind the celebrity — not Alex P. Keaton, not Marty McFly, but Michael.

He has also recognized something important about their marriage: Tracy has always remained her own person rather than allowing her entire identity to become about his fame or his illness.

Perhaps that’s part of why they lasted.

There was no need to pretend their life was perfect.

There was humor. Patience. Family. And, above all, partnership.

Michael once joked that after 35 years of marriage, they were still simply “making it up as we go along.”

Nearly four decades after their wedding, they’re still doing exactly that.

Hollywood gave Michael J. Fox worldwide fame.

But the person who remained beside him when the cameras stopped rolling may have given him something much more valuable.

A partner who knew the man behind Marty McFly — and loved him anyway.