Tracey is an American-born actress and former child star, who is perhaps best known for her appearance in the American sitcom, “Growing Pains.”
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Tracey Claire Fisher hails from New York City, and was born under the Taurus zodiac sign on 26 May 1969, which makes her 54 years old as of 2023. She was brought up by her mother, Bonnie Fisher, who was an advertising executive and radio host, and her husband, Harry Goldstein, who was an actor and Hollywood-based talent agent. Not much is known about Tracey’s biological dad, Joe Fisher. She was raised alongside her sister Melissa ‘Missy’ Gold, who is a former child actress and psychologist, and her half-siblings, Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Gold and the actresses Brandy Gold and Jessica ‘Jessie’ Gold. Tracey took the surname ‘Gold’ after she was adopted by her stepfather, Goldstein. Together with her siblings, Tracey often accompanied her stepfather to movie sets and auditions, and in 1973, she went with him to audition for a Pepsi advertisement and was lucky to get cast. By the time she was six, Gold was regularly appearing in print ads and TV commercials.
The pressure of being a child star started taking a toll on Tracey’s health when she was 11, and was first diagnosed with anorexia in 1980; luckily, she regained her normal weight after going for therapy sessions. Tracey attended Chaminade College Preparatory for high school – it’s not clear if she joined college after her matriculation.
Career
Gold appeared in the miniseries “Captain and the Kings” in 1976 and “The Dark Secret of Harvest Home” in 1978. She then played Michelle Miller in the Shirley Jones-starred NBC comedy-drama, “Shirley” in 1979. In 1982, Gold was cast as Marianne in the drama film “Shoot the Moon” and in 1983, she appeared alongside Bill Bixby in the short-lived CBS sitcom “Goodnight, Beantown.” 1985 saw Tracey audition for the role of Carol in Neal Marlen’s ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” without success – the role was given to the American actress, Elizabeth Ward, but she failed to please test audiences, which saw her replaced by Gold in 1985. She subsequently appeared in 166 episodes, co-starring Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns and Kirk Cameron.
In 1988, Gold starred as Angela in the Paul Schneider-directed teen movie “Dance ‘til Dawn.” She appeared in many TV movies after her stint in “Growing Pains” ended in 1992, making a single-episode appearance in the sci-fi series “The Dead Zone” in 2003, and in the year that followed, she contested in the program “Celebrity Mole: Yucatan.” She went on to star in several other films, including “Safe Harbor” in 2006. 2013 saw Gold appear in the episode “Something Happened” of the ABC Family sitcom “Melissa & Joey”, and she later contested in an episode of “Battle of the Network Stars” in 2017, and in 2022, she won the celebrity edition of the 24th season of the Food Network reality TV show, “Worst Cooks in America” and took home the $25,000 cash prize.
Awards and Nominations
In 1984, Gold scooped a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a New Television for her performance in “Goodnight, Beantown.” She was nominated for the same award in 1984 and 1996. For her performance in “Growing Pains,” Gold was nominated for two Kids’ Choice Awards in 1989 and a TV Land Award in 2008.
Personal Life
Tracey met her husband-to-be, Roby Marshall, through her “Growing Pains” co-star, Joanna ‘Crussie’ Kerns, who had met Marshall during the shooting of the true-crime NBC miniseries “Blind Faith,” which was about the contract killing of his mother, Maria, by his father, Robert Marshall – Roby served as the show’s consultant, but is a high school teacher, who served as a production assistant for the 1992 films “Death Becomes Her” and “Noises Off.” Gold and Marshall exchanged vows on 8 October 1994, and have four sons, Bailey Vincent, Sage Gold, Dylan Christopher and Aiden Michael.
Rumors and Controversy
Gold’s arrest by California Highway Patrol authorities for drink driving sparked a controversy in 2004. She had rolled her car down the freeway embankment, and was lucky to escape with no serious injuries. Gold’s husband and two younger sons also sustained minor injuries, but her oldest son suffered a head laceration and broken clavicle. After failing sobriety tests, the actress was booked and spent hours in a Ventura County lockup before she was released on a $50,000 bail. Eventually, she pleaded guilty to DUI charges and was sentenced to four weeks of work release, three-years probation, and ten days of community service.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Tracey is of Caucasian ethnicity and has a set of dark brown eyes and long light brown hair. She is 5ft 3ins (1.61m) tall and weighs approximately 120lbs (54kgs).
Battling Anorexia
Gold has revealed that she began thinking about dieting when she was seven years old, which made her restrict her food intake in an attempt to control her growth and development. Years after her first anorexia diagnosis, Cassie suffered another attack during her stint in “Growing Pains” in 1989. She became very obsessed with what she ate, and would even starve herself, which saw her lose about 23lbs (10kgs) within two years through 1991.
Gold’s weight had dropped to 90lbs (40kgs) by 1992 and she wore baggy clothes to conceal her lean frame. However, her mother noticed the changes when she saw her change clothes and on 7 January 1992, had her admitted at an undisclosed hospital in Los Angeles to help her recover. During this time, Gold took a break from “Growing Pain” and her character was ‘sent to school in London.’ To help her recover quickly, Gold worked with a leading UCLA therapist and nutritionist after she was discharged from the hospital. Before she fully recovered, the actress made a comeback in “Growing Pain” during the Spring of 1992.
This is what #anorexia did to Tracy Gold. It literally turns your body into a skeleton. @Tess_Holliday is confused. pic.twitter.com/9od6TVAW4U
— Jewish Lady (@jewishladyblog) May 8, 2021
Gold had fully recovered by 1994 and was shortly afterwards cast in an anorexia-related TV film “For the Love of Nancy.” Her experience with the eating disorder came in handy during the shooting of the film, and she executed her role perfectly. She maintained a normal weight as she entered her 30s, and began holding speaking engagements to raise awareness about the dangers of anorexia, while she continued with her acting career.
Net Worth
Gold has appeared in many successful projects since she began her acting career as a child. She’s worth approximately $3 million as of 2023, and seemingly leads a modest lifestyle.
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