All 5 Back to the Future Actors Who Played Multiple Characters

THE Back to the future The franchise jumps between the past, present, and future, meaning multiple actors appear in multiple roles, sometimes hundreds of years apart. Classifying the Back to the future films is admittedly difficult, as the three episodes are collectively considered one of the best trilogies in film history. The reason for this is the heartwarming but equally hilarious stories at the heart of each film, set against a unique and moving backdrop. Back to the futuremultiple timelines.

Thanks to each timeline introduced throughout the trilogy, several hidden story clues Back to the future can be found. From references to Marty McFly’s past, future, and present, there are plenty of Easter eggs as the time travel-centric stories unfold. Some of the more humorous references to past or future timelines in films include actors playing multiple roles. With the story of Back to the Future 4 often theorized, it’s easy to forget how good the trilogy was at many things, including impersonating the same actor as different characters, with five doing so excellently.

5

Michael J. Fox

Marty McFly, Marty McFly Jr., Marlene McFly, Seamus McFly

Above any other character, Michael J. Fox is best known for playing Marty McFly in the Back to the future trilogy. Marty is the protagonist of all three films, with his goal in the first film being his return to 1985 after an accidental time travel to 1955. This coincides with Marty trying to marry his parents, as his actions begin to alter the history and could cause him and his brothers to cease to exist. Marty succeeds, leading directly to Back to the Future Part II where Fox gets to play multiple characters.

The second film finds Marty and Doc traveling to 2015 in an attempt to stop Marty’s son, Marty McFly Jr., from committing a robbery that leads to a chain of events that destroys the McFly family. Marty McFly Jr. is one of the other characters that Fox plays in the Back to the future trilogy, as well as her sister, Marlene McFlyas both characters look exactly like their father. This explains the humorous decision to have Fox portray them as well as the original Marty.

In Back to the Future, Part IIIFox brings a fourth character to life. This film sees Marty traveling back in time to the Wild West in 1885 so he can save Doc’s life, who has been trapped in the past. There, Marty meets his Irish great-great-grandparents, Seamus and Maggie McFly. Seamus is played by Fox, completing the diverse characters the actor plays in the Back to the future trilogy.

4

Lea Thompson

Lorraine Baines-McFly, Maggie McFly

Marty’s parents are a big part Back to the futurewith Lea Thompson playing Lorraine Baines-McFly. Lorraine is Marty’s mother in the film’s opening, portrayed as a depressed alcoholic. Once Marty travels back to 1955, he meets Lorraine once again at a young age. Lorraine falls in love with Marty, unaware that he is her son from the future, causing the latter to resolve to reunite the former with her eventual husband and Marty’s eventual father, George McFly. In Back to the future part IIvarious versions of Lorraine appear as Marty’s mother, played again by Thompson.

Regarding another character, Thompson appears in Back to the Future, Part IIIset in 1885. As Lorraine has not yet been born, Thompson plays the aforementioned Maggie McFly, Marty’s great-great-grandmother and Lorraine’s great-grandmother. The decision was made by the filmmakers as a way of involving Thompson, a very important cast member in the first two films, in the film. In a DVD commentary for Back to the Future, Part IIIThe film’s screenwriter Bob Gale said he imagines the McFly men are simply “genetically predisposed” to being attracted to women who look like Thompson.

3

Thomas F. Wilson

Biff Tannen, Griff Tannen, Gertrude Tannen, Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen

The main antagonists of Back to the future franchise are primarily portrayed by the same actor, Thomas F. Wilson. In the first film, Wilson plays Biff Tannen, someone who once went to school with Lorraine and George, Marty’s parents. Biff is George’s supervisor in 1985 and torments him incessantly, often going over the shy man’s head with little to no repercussions. Once Marty travels back to 1955, Wilson appears again as a younger Biff, George’s school bully and in turn Marty’s rival.

In Back to the future part IIWilson returns as Biff Tannen while also playing Griff Tannen, the former’s grandson. Griff is the person who commits a robbery with Marty McFly Jr., resulting in the destruction of the McFly family that Doc and the original Marty try to prevent. Despite not physically appearing on screen, Wilson plays another character in the Tannen family: Gertrude. Gertrude is Biff’s rude grandmother in the film, who can be heard yelling at her grandson several times, voiced by Wilson.

As was the case with Fox, Wilson appears in all three Back to the future movies as different characters. In Back to the Future, Part IIIWilson plays Biff Tannen’s great-grandfather Buford. Also known as “Mad Dog”, Buford is the leader of an Old West gang in the 1885 version of Hill Valley. As such, he serves as Marty and Doc’s antagonist in the third film before being arrested for his crimes.

2

James Tolkan

Director Gerald Strickland, US Marshal James Strickland

Outside of the main cast, there are a few others Back to the future actors portraying various characters. One of these actors is James Tolkan, who first appears in the original film Back to the future as Hill Valley High School principal Gerald Strickland. Strickland appears in the film as a sort of comic relief vehicle, often shown loudly and exaggeratedly berating students at the school for various reasons. Other than that, Strickland has little impact on the overall plot of Back to the future.

Tolkan returned to the franchise in Back to the Future, Part IIIset in 1885. It is mentioned in the first film that Tolkan’s Gerald Strickland was a descendant of a US Marshal named James Strickland. In Back to the Future, Part IIIJames Strickland makes an appearance. It serves as the main legal presence in Back to the Future, Part IIIoften opposing people like Buford and his gang as they come into conflict with Marty and Doc. Interestingly, James Strickland’s fate is mysterious due to some unexplained plot holes.

In a deleted scene from the film, the character James Strickland is killed. This scene, as well as the film’s novelization, describes how James is shot and killed by Buford. However, the theatrical release does not include this scene, and instead Strickland is simply absent from the second half.

1

Donald Fullilove

Goldie Wilson, Goldie Wilson III

The last actor of Back to the future franchise that portrays more than one character is Donald Fullilove. None of Fullilove’s roles are as vital to Back to the future or Back to the future part IIbut his actions somehow impact the broader plot of both films. Fullilove’s first role came in the first when it was revealed that he was Hill Valley’s first black mayor in 1985, Goldie Wilson. Fullilove portrayed both the older and younger versions of Goldie in Back to the future, the latter shown as a young man working at Lou’s Cafe in 1955.

Fullilove’s other role in Back to the future is much smaller and comes Back to the Future, Part II. In the 2015 film’s timeline, Fullilove appears as Goldie Wilson III, grandson of the original Goldie Wilson. He appears on a floating car billboard, leading to the assumption that Goldie Wilson III is a car salesman. Fullilove appeared as this character in an uncredited cameo and, despite the lack of credit, completes the list of Back to the future actors who played various characters.