Michael J. Fox penned a heartfelt message to his son Sam on Friday in honor of his 36th birthday.
The Back to the Future star, 63, took to Instagram to share a playful photo of himself and the birthday boy. In the image, Michael is holding his fist to Sam’s chin, pretending to punch him, while Sam beams for the camera wearing an adorable Mickey Mouse shirt.
Birthday love
“Happy Birthday Sam…No better friend, brother, or son on the planet. Love you so much,” Michael captioned the photo.
His followers were quick to send happy birthday messages to Sam, but many appeared surprised by the strong family resemblance.
“He’s your mini-me! Well… sorta… Happy birthday to Sam!” one commented, jokingly referring to their height difference.
A second said: “I’ve always thought he looked like when his Dad was on Family Ties. A young Alex Keaton.” A third added: “Happy Birthday. You look So Much like your Dad!!! Enjoy your birthday.”
Alongside Sam, Michael and his wife of over 30 years, Tracy Pollan, are also parents to twins Aquinnah Kathleen Fox and Schuyler Frances Fox, both 30, and Esmé Annabelle Fox, 23.
© InstagramTracy also shared a sweet birthday tribute to her only son, captioning a carousel of photos: “Happy Happy Happy birthday to you Sam!!! Here’s to the best year yet, I love you so much!!!”
Sam, like the rest of his siblings, shares an extremely close bond with his parents, stepping out to support them at events and red carpets from time to time.
Speaking previously with Good Housekeeping, Michael explained that despite his battle with Parkinson’s disease (which he was diagnosed with at the age of 22 and made public at 29), his children have adapted to the situation beautifully.
He opened up about family rituals, saying: “We’ll go up to the country. And it’s not unusual to make popcorn and then for all six of us to climb into bed and watch TV – just bodies everywhere. We are a really affectionate family, and we laugh a lot.”
He added: “And you know, with Parkinson’s, my kids just make the transition. If I am reaching for something, they will just do it and carry on.
© Getty Images“Again, people say to me, ‘How do you cope?’ And I think, ‘Cope?!’ It’s really hard to even think that way. Sometimes I’ll stop and think, ‘Am I selling short the experience my family is having?’ But then I’ll look back at it and say, no – they’re having fun.”
The year is already shaping up to be an eventful one for the family, following a big 2024 in which Schuyler tied the knot and Sam announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Molly Milstein.
In January, Michael received the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom from outgoing President Joe Biden, and earlier this month, the actor announced a brand new memoir titled Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum.
© Getty ImagesTV comback
It was also revealed this month that Michael is returning to the screen for a major guest-starring role in the hit Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series Shrinking.
The actor has not appeared in a film since 2019’s See You Yesterday (excluding a voice role in 2021’s Back Home Again and an appearance in his own Apple TV+ documentary) or on TV since 2020’s The Good Fight.
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