Back to the Future: a timeline of Michael J Fox’s career Back to the Future: a timeline of Michael J Fox’s career Feature Actor and activist: Michael J Fox is an exceptional man as well as an exceptional entertainer Credit: Rex/Everett Collection / Rex Feature 21 October 2015 • 9:54am On Back to the Future Day, we time-travel through Michael J Fox’s inspirational life Thirty years since the beginning of the franchise, we’ve finally made it back to the future . Today is Back To The Future Day – the date that Michael J Fox’s character Marty McFly time-travelled to from 1989 in Back to the Future Part II. The series of films cemented his reputation for comedy acting in American sitcoms, and after he would continue to bring light to the big and the small screens. But in 1991, only two years after the second Back To The Future film and when he was at the top of his game, lightning stuck his own life as he was diagnosed with the degenerative Parkinson’s disease. He hid it for years, but this marked him out for a different future: that of an inspiring man as well as an inspiring entertainer.

We travel back through the actor and activist’s history. 1961: Michael Andrew Fox is born On June 9, 1961, six years after Marty McFly’s parents are supposed to meet in Back to the Future, Michael J Fox is born in Canada to a police officer and an actress. His father’s career meant that the family spent time moving around the country, eventually settling in Vancouver in 1971. Michael Andrew Fox was born in 1961, six years after Marty McFly’s parents are supposed to meet in Back to the Future Credit: Rex/Universal/Everett / Rex Features 1976: Fox acts in Canadian sitcom Leo and Me Fox got his first big acting role when he was just 15 in the sitcom Leo and Me, playing the 12-year-old nephew and charge of Brent Carver’s character Leo: a gambler who takes Fox’s character Jamie to live with him on a yacht he won at poker. It was released on CBC five years later.

An investigation into the conditions of filming were launched in 2002 when it was noted that four of the sitcom’s cast and crew, including Fox and director Don S Williams, developed Parkinson’s disease in later life. 1979: American debut and becomes known as Michael J Fox After Leo and Me aired Fox moved to Los Angeles and came to the attention of producer Ronald Shedlo, who cast him in a television movie called Letters From Frank, in which he starred alongside Oscar-winning actress Maureen Stapleton. His feature film debut was in 1980’s Midnight Madness. Seeming to foreshadow Back to the Future, he acted in a futuristic film in 1981 called Class of 1984. When wishing to register the name Michael Fox with the Screen Actors Guild, he realised the name was already taken by another actor, so chose the name Michael J Fox.

1982: Family Ties and television popularity Michael J Fox as part of the Keaton family in Family Ties Credit: NBC Fox became a household name when he played Alex Keaton, a young entrepreneur and wannabe Republican politician during the Reagan presidency in the NBC sitcom Family Ties, which ran for seven seasons between 1982 and 1989. Originally intended to focus on the hippy parents of Fox and his Conservative siblings, the show moved to focus on his own character due to Fox’s popularity with audiences. It also won him three consecutive Emmy awards in the category of Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. In a twist of fate that mirrors the casting of now Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston in AMC’s Breaking Bad, Fox got the part of Alex Keaton because Matthew Broderick didn’t take it. 1985: Back to the Future and fame The film’s director Robert Zemeckis wanted Fox to play the part of Marty McFly – the time-travelling teenager of the Back to the Future trilogy – from the very beginning.

Though Eric Stoltz was originally cast to play the role, and the producer of Family Ties was reluctant to let him join the film’s cast, Fox eventually took the part, shooting the film after his contracted hours for Family Ties rehearsals during the day. It earned $381 million in the box office and spent eight weekends as the highest-grossing movie at the American box office. He would reprise his role in 1989’s Back to the Future Part II and 1990’s Back to the Future Part III. Alongside these he played an assortment of Eighties yuppies and comic roles in films such as 1987’s The Secret of My Success and 1988’s Bright Lights, Big City: an adaptation of Jay Mcinerney's novel of the same name criticising the excesses of the era. He also appeared alongside Sean Penn in Casualties of War, a gritty war film.

Michael J Fox in 1987’s The Secret Of My Success Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX 1991: Parkinson’s diagnosis Aged only 30 and enjoying the peak of his Hollywood success, Fox went to see a doctor after noticing a twitch in his finger. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a neurological disease which causes parts of the body to move involuntarily, resulting in debilitating tremors. His doctor told Fox he’d only be able to carry on acting for another decade before the illness became too serious for him to work. Michael J Fox with co-star Heather Locklear in Spin City Credit: Paramount He decided to hide his condition in case this would put people off hiring him. He continued acting in films such as 1993’s For Love or Money, but his cinematic career slowed down and the roles became smaller. He turned to voice-acting in live-action films such as Disney’s Homeward Bound and Stuart Little films. His last major film role was a psychic in 1996’s horror comedy The Frighteners.

1998: Fox goes public with Parkinson's In 1996 Fox started acting in the ABC political comedy Spin City, in which he played the Deputy Mayor of New York, winning an Emmy and three Golden Globes. He had been living with Parkinson's disease for seven years, trying, with increasing difficulty, to hide his worsening tremors. In his 2002 memoir Lucky Man he admitted that he had effectively been living in denial about having the disease, and initially began drinking more heavily before going completely sober in 1992. In 1998 he announced that he was suffering from the disease and spoke about it in an interview with ABC broadcaster Barbara Walters. He retired from Spin City in 2000, returning occasionally for guest appearances. This would mark the beginning a second illustrious career for Fox: that of spokesperson and activist for Parkinson’s research. Micheal J Fox gave his first interview about Parkinson's to Barbara Walters on ABC in December, 1998 Credit: Virginia Sherwood He set up the Michael J Fox Foundation, which has raised $450 million for research to date.

While campaigning for federal funding for stem cell research in 1999 he stopped taking his medication so the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee could see the naked effects of the disease. “It seemed to me that this occasion demanded that my testimony about the effects of the disease, and the urgency we as a community were feeling, be seen as well as heard,” he said in his memoir. Again in 2006 he demonstrated the true face of Parkinson’s when he appeared in an advert for Claire McCaskill’s Senatorial campaign unmedicated: she was an advocate for funding stem cell research; her Missouri incumbent was for criminalising it. The advert was praised widely, with the New York Times calling it "one of the most powerful and talked about political advertisements in years". It helped get McCaskill elected. 2009: Stem cell research legalised and Oprah interview When President Obama lifted the US ban on federally funded stem cell research in 2009, Fox spoke out on CNN about its importance for the hope of sufferers as well as medical progress. He also appeared for an interview on Oprah Winfrey’s show , shedding light on what it is like living with Parkinson’s.

The nature of his condition changes year to year, he admitted, and the constant movement of his body made the simplest of tasks, such as getting out of bed and brushing his teeth harder. Asked how much medication he needed to take before coming on the show, Fox said, “A boatload”. But he can sometimes go hours without tremors, meaning that he can do whatever physical activity he likes during that reprieve: his favourite is ice hockey, as Parkinson’s affects flowing movements such as ice-skating comparatively less than stop-start motions such as walking. Michael J Fox appearing alongside Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife Credit: CBS In recent years he has returned to acting on shows such as The Good Wife and Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, and appeared in The Michael J Fox Show on NBC in 2013-14, which was about a newscaster with Parkinson’s who retires from work. In 2007 Time magazine named him one of the 100 people "whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world". They forgot to mention humour.

Fox has previously joked that Parkinson’s is “the gift that keeps on giving”, in a sense that him having it constantly allows him opportunities to use his profile in order to raise awareness for other less visible sufferers. Competition 28 Apr 2016 News 27 Apr 2016 Michael J. Fox - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 2:03 PM, UTC NEWS Actor | Producer | Miscellaneous Crew Michael J. Fox was born Michael Andrew Fox on June 9, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Phyllis Fox (née Piper), a payroll clerk, and William Fox. His parents moved their ten-year-old son, his three sisters, Kelli Fox , Karen, and Jacki, and his brother, Steven, to Vancouver, British Columbia, after his father, a sergeant in the Canadian Army ...

See full bio » Born: Share this page: Related News a list of 24 people created 18 Feb 2011 a list of 32 people created 13 Mar 2014 a list of 26 people created 02 Sep 2014 a list of 35 images created 24 May 2015 a list of 32 people created 1 month ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Michael J. Fox's work have you seen? User Polls Won 4 Golden Globes. Another 27 wins & 60 nominations. See more awards » Known For Back to the Future Part II Marty McFly / Marty McFly Jr. / Marlene McFly (1989) Family Ties Alex P.

Keaton (1982-1989) 1992 Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (TV Series) Narrator (segment "There's a Nightmare in My Closet") 1984 Night Court (TV Series) Eddie Simms 1983 The Love Boat (TV Series) Jimmy Cowens 1982 Teachers Only (TV Series) Jeff 1980 Here's Boomer (TV Series) Jackie 1978 Leo and Me (TV Series) Jamie (as Mike Fox) 1977 The Magic Lie (TV Series) Nicky - Truck Logger (1973) ... (as Michael Fox) Hide 2013-2014 The Michael J. Fox Show (TV Series) (executive producer - 19 episodes) - Changes (2014) ...

(executive producer) 2003 Hench at Home (TV Movie) (executive producer) 2002 Otherwise Engaged (TV Movie) (executive producer) 1996-2000 Spin City (TV Series) (executive producer - 100 episodes) 1997 Spin City (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode) - Deaf Becomes Her (1997) ... (performer: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - uncredited) 1987 Light of Day (performer: "Rude Mood", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "You Got No Place to Go") / (writer: "You Got No Place to Go") Hide 2003 Hench at Home (TV Movie) Hide 2007-2016 Rachael Ray (TV Series) Himself - Guest / Himself 1994-2016 Good Morning America (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2010-2015 Live!

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See more » Trivia: Admits there was a period when he was living, and working in the United States illegally, and would not return to Canada, for fear of not being allowed back in to the United States. Had to hire immigration lawyers to "straighten it all out". See more » Trademark: Michael J. Fox | Futurepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia [ show ] Biography After having co-starred in a television series called Family Ties for a few years, series producer Gary David Goldberg was approached and asked to let Fox star in a Steven Spielberg produced film about a time-traveling teenager. At first, Goldberg did not inform Michael about the offer, not wanting to lose Michael to film stardom. Months later, Goldberg was again asked about Michael because Eric Stoltz , who had been chosen for the part after Goldberg stated that Fox was not available, was reportedly not giving the energetic performance that Robert Zemeckis , the director, was looking for. Goldberg finally told Michael about the offer and he quickly agreed to play the role of Marty McFly in the film Back to the Future . Fox would rehearse for Family Ties from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

After he was done, he would be rushed to the Back to the Future set where he would rehearse and shoot until 2:30 A.M. This schedule lasted for two full months. During the year 1985, Fox filmed the teen comedy film, Teen Wolf , before filming Back to the Future , but Back to the Future eventually was released a month before. On July 4 , 1985 , Back to the Future was number one at the box office. The film was number one for 11 consecutive weeks and eventually earned a worldwide total of $381.11 million. Soon after its release, Fox also appeared in commercials for Pepsi , which was featured in the film. After Family Ties ended, he continued work on the Back to the Future trilogy with Part II and Part III. Prior to his work on the second and third films, Fox also engaged in some dramatic roles, such as Bright Lights Big City, where he plays an alcoholic journalist, and Casualties of War, where he played a US Army private fighting in Vietnam who witnesses his superiors kidnapping and raping a native woman and is conflicted how to handle it.

During the 1989 production of Back to the Future Part II , Fox's father passed away, and his wife, Tracy Pollan, gave birth to his first son. Fox, then 28 years old, was made to look "middle aged" with the assistance of makeup artist Bron Roylance , and he paid homage to his father by adding some of his mannerisms to the character. (On June 9, 2008, Fox turned 47 years old, the same age as Marty McFly in 2015 .) Fox was an animal rights activist and a vegetarian, which caused two scenes in the trilogy to be slightly adapted. At his future home in Part II, although Marty McFly Jr. takes a slice of pepperoni pizza at dinner, he picks all the pepperoni off before eating it. At the McFly Farm in Part III, there is no meat on the fork he transfers from the serving dish to his plate, and then to his mouth, before he spits out several pieces of buckshot. A Michael J. Fox at the 2011 TV Land Awards.

fter the release of Back to the Future Part III in May 1990, Fox started displaying symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease later the same year while shooting the movie Doc Hollywood , though he wasn't properly diagnosed until the following year. In 1998, he decided to go public with his condition, and since then he has been a strong advocate of Parkinson's disease research. In 2000, Fox semi-retired from acting. Prior to his retiring, Michael J. Fox played Deputy Mayor Michael Flaherty in the sitcom Spin City and had that role from Seasons 1-4 ( 1996 - 1999 ), as well as reprising the role for several episodes of the final season during 2001 . Christopher Lloyd appeared along with Michael during the Season 3 episode "Back to the Future: Judgement Day" as Mike's political mentor. 'Back to the Future': Where Are They Now? - ABC News ABC News Universal/The Kobal Collection It's nearly the future for the stars of "Back to the Future." In the hugely successful 1980s film franchise, director Robert Zemeckis aged his stars, including Michael J.

Fox, with makeup and lighting as they traveled in time from 1985 to 1955, back to 1885 and forward to 2015. Now, 28 years after the first film, time has caught up with the stars. Fox, who played Marty McFly, went on to become a major movie star, but the other actors who played relatives of Marty McFly, the wacky scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown and the bully Biff Tannen, remain recognizable faces. Click through to see where the cast of "Back to the Future" is now. Universal/The Kobal Collection Michael J. Fox Fox, now 51, was in his early 20s and the star of the hit TV series "Family Ties" when he took on the role of Marty McFly. In the film, McFly is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955, where he meets his future parents in high school.

But when he accidentally sparks the romantic interest of his future mother, played by Lea Thompson, he has to work to get his parents to fall in love in order to keep history -- and his future family -- intact. He enlists the help of scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown to get back to 1985. Fox went on to star in both "Back to the Future" sequels, released in 1989 and 1990, as well as several films, including "Bright Lights, Big City," "Casualties of War" and "Doc Hollywood," before returning to television in another hit series, "Spin City." During the series' third season, Fox announced that he had Parkinson's disease and he left the show after the fourth season to spend more time with family. Since then, he has made guest appearances on several TV shows and written three books while becoming one of the most visible advocates for Parkinson's research. Last August, he signed a deal with NBC to star in a new comedy series based loosely on his life. It's scheduled to air this fall.

Universal/The Kobal Collection Crispin Glover At 20, Glover was actually younger than Fox when he was cast to play his father in the first film. Glover played both the 17-year-old and 47-year-old version of his character, George McFly. Though the 48-year-old actor looked oddly buttoned up in black with a scruffy beard and floppy hair during a recent sighting at the Los Angeles airport, his face still appeared youthful. Glover did not reprise his role in the sequels, "Back to the Future II" and "Back to the Future III," and filed suit against Universal Studios for using his unauthorized likeness after another actor wore prosthetics in order to resemble him. The case was later settled for an undisclosed amount.

Glover continued to act in films, including "Charlie's Angels" and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." Universal/The Kobal Collection Lea Thompson Thompson played Lorraine Baines McFly in the entire trilogy, while adding the role of Marty's great-great grandmother, Maggie McFly, in "III." Lorraine McFly was Thompson's most famous role, but she also starred in "All the Right Moves" opposite Tom Cruise and "Howard the Duck" opposite Tim Robbins. Her '90s sitcom, "Caroline in the City," was a moderate hit. Since 2011, Thompson, 51, has starred in the ABC Family series "Switched at Birth." Ron Galella/WireImage/Getty Images Elisabeth Shue Oscar-nominated actress Elisabeth Shue took over the role of Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, in the two sequels after Claudia Wells declined to reprise the role.

Shue, 49, has had a prolific career starring alongside some of Hollywood's biggest names, including Tom Cruise, Sally Field, Robert Downey Jr., Jessica Lange, Nicolas Cage and, most recently, Meryl Streep in "Hope Springs." She is married to film director Davis Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for "Inconvenient Truth," and they have three children. Universal/The Kobal Collection Christopher Lloyd Rising to prominence in the 1980s as Jim Ignatowski on the hit TV series "Taxi," Christopher Lloyd was cast as wacky scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in all three films. It became his best known role. After the trilogy, Lloyd was cast as Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family" and its sequel, "Addams Family Values." The 74-year-old Emmy-Award-winning actor continues to make frequent guest appearances on television series, lend his voice for animated series and promote his best known character, Doc Brown. Getty Images Thomas Wilson Thomas Wilson became famous playing bully Biff Tannen -- and his grandson Griff Tannen and great-grandfather Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen -- in the "Back to the Future" trilogy.

Wilson, now 53, went on to play Coach Ben Fredricks on NBC's "Freaks and Geeks" for its sole season and to make guest appearances in various TV shows, but he has been unable to escape his most famous role. In fact, he wrote a song about all the questions he is perpetually answering about "Back to the Future." He called it, "Biff's Question Song." "Back to the Future" stars: Then and now You are using an older browser version. Please use a supported version for the best MSN experience. "Back to the Future" stars: Then and now < PREVIOUS SLIDE SLIDE 1 of 21 NEXT SLIDE > This Oct. 21, keep a close watch around you. Who knows you might spot the time machine built out of a DeLorean DM-12 sports car. Confused? In the Robert Zemeckis-directed comic science fiction, Oct. 21, 2015, is the day when Dr. Emmett Brown arrives in future in his flying time machine with Marty McFly.

Popularly known among fans as Back to the Future Day, let’s celebrate the day by taking a look at all the actors in the film and what they have done since. © Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for SHOWTIME; Everett Collection/REX; Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP; Moviesto... Where Are They Now? The Cast Of Back To The Future Where Are They Now? The Cast Of Back To The Future Share Comment Back in the summer of 1985, audiences of all ages were thrilled by a tale of a modern-day teenager leaping back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean, trying to get his parents to meet and fall in love. Back to the Future was fun for kids who could relate to the teenager, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), and for their parents who could reminisce about their own 1950s childhoods. It certainly helped boost the film careers of both director Robert Zemeckis and Fox, the two true stars of the show. But the original film featured many other actors with mixed fates. Some have been quietly working constantly, one has mounted a comeback after a long absence, and one has a weird tie to Michael Jackson.

Plus, stick around for a couple of bonus honorable mentions. You don’t need a souped up DeLorean to find out Where are they Now? The Cast of Back to the Future. 11. ROBERT ZEMECKIS (CO-WRITER/DIRECTOR) After scoring his first big hit in 1984 with the adventure comedy Romancing the Stone , director Robert Zemeckis was able to make a little more of a passion project, the first big-budget movie he co-wrote: Back to the Future. Obviously, it turned out to be a science-fiction-comedy classic, and it very much defined the rest of his enormously successful career. He has used the combination of comedy, adventure, science fiction and innovative special effects constantly. As a follow-up, he brought cartoon characters from different studios together, along with live-action actors and settings, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit . There were more crazy special effects and dark comedy in 1992’s Death Becomes Her before he struck Oscar gold with Forrest Gump in 1994, which also sparked a collaboration with Tom Hanks that evolved into films like Cast Away and The Polar Express – the latter being the first entirely motion capture feature film.

Coming up, Allied will hit theaters in November, a World War II thriller starring Brad Pitt. 10. HARRY WATERS JR. (MARVIN BERRY) Harry Waters Jr. had one of the classic moments in the original Back to the Future. We knew Marvin Berry and the Starlighters were the band playing the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in 1955. But we didn’t know he was a Berry until Marty stepped on stage, grabbed a guitar and pulled some Chuck Berry licks, leading to Marvin calling Chuck and exclaiming, “Chuck, Chuck! It’s Marvin! Your cousin, Marvin Berry! You know that new sound you were looking for? Well listen to THIS!” After the first film, and a brief appearance in the second, Waters got some work, mostly guest parts on sitcoms like Amen and 227, but nothing major, though he did voice Tweedle Dee in 100 episodes of an early ’90s cartoon called Adventures in Wonderland. He’s concentrated mainly on writing, teaching acting, and theater work, appearing in the first production of the Tony Award winning Angels in America back in 1991. 9.

DONALD FULLILOVE (GOLDIE WILSON) If you’re a Back to the Future fan, you probably already know one Michael Jackson connection: his appearance on the Cafe 80’s restaurant TV in 2015 in Part II. But did you know that actor Donald Fullilove, who played 1955-busboy/1985-mayor Goldie Wilson, voiced the cartoon version of Jackson in the 1971 show Jackson 5ive in his first acting job at the age of 13? The awesomely named Fullilove continued to be the consummate character actor through the years, constantly popping up in bit parts on TV and on the big screen, including the 21 Jump Street TV show and the film White Men Can’t Jump. Lately, though, he’s been almost exclusively a voice actor, with his dulcet tones popping up everywhere from Pixar classics WALL-E and Up, to American Dad! 8.

WENDIE JO SPERBER (LINDA MCFLY) When Back to the Future hit screens in 1985, Wendie Jo Sperber, who played Marty’s sister Linda, was one of the better known supporting actors in the cast. She was well known for her hilarious role in the early Tom Hanks cross-dressing sitcom Bosom Buddies and appeared in the TV version of Private Benjamin. She continued to act in similar roles, often as the goofy friend in sitcoms. While she couldn’t return for Part II because she was pregnant, she was in Part III. Sperber starred in a sitcom about three…er, not skinny…women called Babes in 1990-91, as well as the John Ritter sitcom Hearts Afire a couple years later, while also popping up with Ritter on 8 Simple Rules. Sadly, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. While she fought valiantly and became a breast cancer activist, she passed away in 2005 at age 47. 7. JAMES TOLKAN (MR. STRICKLAND) As Mr.

Strickland, veteran character actor James Tolkan lived up to his character’s name as the super-strict vice principal at Marty’s school. He wasn’t afraid to shove Marty (he’d most certainly be fired for that these days) and call him a slacker. He had a reputation for playing tough, strict authoritarian characters in various movies and TV shows leading into Back to the Future, and that didn’t change afterwards. The next year he had a hard-nosed part in Top Gun , as Captain Tom “Stinger” Jardian. On Remington Steele, he had a recurring role as a tough character out to prove Steele was a fraud. And, of course, he returned for the BttF sequels, most notably as Strickland’s grandfather, Chief Marshal James Strickland in the third flick. Now 84, he hasn’t worked a lot since the turn of the century, but was a regular on the A&E series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001-02), even directing two episodes, and last appeared in the western Bone Tomahawk in 2015. 6.

CLAUDIA WELLS (JENNIFER PARKER) After appearing in the bookends of the original Back to the Future as Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer, Claudia Wells was thrust into superstardom. Or not. Leading up to her big break, she was a regular as a teen actress in a short-lived Herbie, the Love Bug TV show. Just after the movie, she was in another short-lived show, playing the Phoebe Cates role in a TV version of Fast Times . But then she went quiet. She chose not to play Jennifer in the sequels (more on who did later) due to her mother’s unfortunate diagnosis with cancer, along with the lingering effects of a car accident. However, after a 22-year absence from acting, she appeared in a low-budget 2011 sci-fi film called Alien Armageddon, as well as provided the voice of Jennifer in Back to the Future: The Game. She also appeared in an episode of The Mentalist and continues her comeback in a number of low budget films with awesome titles like My Cousin’s Ghetto Wedding and Break Dance Revolution. Oh, and how could we forget: she sells autographed Back to the Future t-shirts and photos on her website .

5. TOM WILSON (BIFF TANNEN) In his first major film role, Tom Wilson played the bully everybody loved to hate, Biff Tannen, in Back to the Future. While it didn’t thrust him to superstardom, it did lead him to a long, continuing career as a character actor, stand-up comedian and musician. Obviously, he reprised his role as Biff, as well as his ancestors and offspring, in the sequels. From there, he took supporting roles in films like the Carl Weathers vehicle Action Jackson. On TV, you’ve seen in as a coach on Freaks and Geeks in a recurring role, plus Ed and many others. But much of his work has come off-screen, as a voice artist on animated shows, from SpongeBob Squarepants to The Spectacular Spider-Man and various Batman series, plus video games (including Back to the Future titles). A well-rounded artist, he’s a somewhat successful painter and has had a podcast called Big Pop Fun. 4. CRISPIN GLOVER (GEORGE MCFLY) Quirky character actor Crispin Glover has a strange relationship with the Back to the Future franchise.

While he memorably starred as Marty’s father (both young and awkward in 1955 and older in ‘85), he did not reprise the role in the sequels, though the character returned. Glover says he had issues with the ending of the original movie and refused to participate in the sequels. So they used another actor, Jeffrey Weissman, in Glover-like makeup. Glover is notoriously considered an odd bird, and his acting choices reflect that. He actually starred opposite Michael J. Fox in a couple of episodes of Family Ties , and shortly after Back to the Future, played a memorable role in the film River’s Edge. Since then, he’s played supporting roles all over the map, from little-known indie films to distinctive performances as Andy Warhol in The Doors, the silently evil Thin Man in Charlie’s Angels , the Knave of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and the lead role in the creepy rat movie Willard. These days, he continues to straddle the line between mainstream and independent weirdness. He writes and directs his own films like What Is It? (2005), a surreal film starring actors with Down’s Syndrome.

While he’s got another film in post production, on the other side of the industry, he’ll star as Mr. World in the American Gods TV series next year, based on Neil Gaiman’s novel. 3. LEA THOMPSON (LORRAINE BAINES-MCFLY) Remember that whole theme in Back to the Future where Marty’s mom totally wanted to get it on with him? Yeah. It was funny, no doubt, but also super creepy. Just for a second, guys, imagine a young version of your mom flirting with you. We apologize if we just ruined your day. Anyway, onward. Lea Thompson was certainly a fetching Lorraine, as the young version in 1955, then aged with makeup for 1985. Many a teenage boy fell in love with her, where Marty did not…in that way. It was Thompson’s breakthrough role, leading to key parts in films that were just so ’80s, like Some Kind of Wonderful and Casual Sex?

By 1995, she moved to “Must See TV” on NBC for four seasons, following Friends and Seinfeld as the lead in Caroline in the City, about a cartoonist looking for love in the Big Apple. In the mid-2000s, she starred in a long-running series of Hallmark Channel movies called Jane Doe. Most recently, she has been a regular on the ABC Family series Switched at Birth, which will wrap up with a final season in 2017 on the Freeform network. Now 54, Thompson has also caught the directing bug in recent years, trying her hand with a couple of installments of Jane Doe and two Switched at Birth episodes. 2. CHRISTOPHER LLOYD (DR. EMMETT BROWN) Before starring as frantic inventor Dr. Emmett Brown, Christopher Lloyd had made a name for himself as the hilarious burnout Reverend Jim on 84 episodes of the sitcom Taxi. And just before Back to the Future, he buttered himself up to science fiction fans as Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

Since his iconic turn as the manic, white-haired, bulgy-eyed Brown, Lloyd has been everywhere. First of all, though, don’t confuse him with the immensely successful producer Christopher Lloyd, whose credit you’d see on Modern Family, Frasier and Wings. No, our Lloyd has been everywhere as a character actor – and when we say everywhere, we mean everywhere, with 211 IMDB credits and counting. While he’s never really taken another star turn, he did notably reunite with Michael J. Fox on Spin City and The Michael J. Fox Show in guest spots, and has voiced Doc Brown in video games and on Robot Chicken . Plus, for the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future last year, he and Fox reprised their most famous roles for a spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He still works consistentlyistantly at age 77. 1. MICHAEL J. FOX (MARTY MCFLY) Hot off his starring role on the hit sitcom Family Ties, Michael J. Fox was Zemeckis’ first choice to play the lead role of Marty McFly. Only one problem: the show’s producer, Gary David Goldberg, wouldn’t let Fox take time off to shoot the movie.

Notoriously, they shot a good chunk of the movie with Eric Stoltz as Marty, but he just wasn’t nailing the comedic parts of the role. So Zemeckis went back to Goldberg and successfully begged for some of Fox’s time. The film made Fox a superstar. Hot on its heels, Teen Wolf was another big hit for him, and he continued to light up box offices throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s in The Secret of My Success, the Back to the Future sequels (obviously), and Doc Hollywood, while providing the voice for the animated hit Stuart Little in 1999. In ‘96, he turned back to TV with another hit, Spin City, winning an Emmy in 2000. But as the third season aired, he revealed that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He quit the show to deal with his health issues, and has become a major spokesman for the disease, founding the Michael J. Fox Foundation, while popping up in guest spots and recurring roles all over the TV world, from Scrubs to Boston Legal and, most recently, a long run on this past season of The Good Wife .

There was also his short-lived starring vehicle, The Michael J. Fox Show in 2013-14, inspired by his own life, as a popular news anchor diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. BONUS: ELISABETH SHUE (JENNIFER PARKER) Like we said in the previous “Jennifer” entry featuring actress Claudia Wells, she wasn’t able to return for the sequels. So we had to give Elisabeth Shue an honorable mention for taking the role and running through both sequels. She was a hot young actress at the time, having already starred in big hits like The Karate Kid , Adventures in Babysitting and Cocktail. For Part II, they even re-shot the ending of the original, where the sequel starts off, with Doc Brown finding Marty and Jennifer on the driveway. Curiously, after the sequels, her career cooled off a bit, and she had trouble finding another hit. That is, until 1994’s Leaving Las Vegas, which netted her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She’s worked pretty steadily ever since, in films big and small, even producing a soccer movie called Gracie with her soccer-playing brother Andrew Shue, of Melrose Place fame.

In 2012, Shue joined the cast of CSI for 71 episodes until it ended last year. BONUS: MARY STEENBURGEN (CLARA CLAYTON) Like Shue, veteran actress Mary Steenburgen also played a big enough role in the sequels to get an honorable mention here. She broke out as an Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in Melvin and Howard in 1980, and never looked back. In Part III, she played Clara Clayton, a schoolteacher in 1885, who turned out to be the love of Doc Brown’s life. Of course, she didn’t need a measly Back to the Future sequel to boost her career. She was fine before, and has been fine ever since, with major and supporting roles in TV and film, notably Elf, Joan of Arcadia, Justified and Orange is the New Black . Married to Ted Danson since 1995, these days she’s part of the ensemble on Fox’s The Last Man on Earth , as the often drunken Gail. Coincidentally, the Back to the Future DeLorean appeared in the recent season finale , though she didn’t get to take it for a spin.

— 9 actors who played dual roles: Back to the Future, Moon, Parent Trap 9 actors who played dual roles: Back to the Future, Moon, Parent Trap Jake Gyllenhaal, Lindsay Lohan, Michael J Fox and more great actors doubling up.

Don't Miss Share November 24 2016 4:37 PM Share November 17 2016 3:04 PM Share November 17 2016 1:34 AM November 04 2016 10:32 AM Latest News Share 1 hour ago 10:01 PM Share 1 hour ago 9:39 PM Share 3 hours ago 7:32 PM Share 4 hours ago 6:24 PM 6 hours ago 5:00 PM Must Read Share 10 hours ago 12:56 PM Share 12 hours ago 10:45 AM Share 6 hours ago 5:00 PM 6 April 2014 9:00 AM Shares Jesse Eisenberg takes on his most challenging role since Mark Zuckerberg in Richard Ayoade's The Double, playing a lonely everyman whose life is gradually destroyed by the arrival of a charismatic doppelgÃ¤nger. Inspired by Eisenberg's powerhouse dual performance, Digital Spy has taken a look back over 9 more actors who excelled at doubling up.

© Rex Features Snap Stills Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell and Sam Bell (Moon) Had Duncan Jones not found exactly the right leading man in Sam Rockwell, his remarkable debut feature would likely never have worked. Astronaut Sam Bell is nearing the end of his three-year work contract on the moon, but everything he believed about his mission begins to change when he discovers an unconscious doppelgÃ¤nger outside his base. It's both a top-notch sci-fi drama and a compelling exploration of loneliness, and Rockwell grounds all of the film's twists in emotional reality. © Rex Features ITV Jeremy Irons as Beverly Mantle and Elliot Mantle (Dead Ringers) Identical twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly systematically seduce their clients: the charismatic Elliot reels them in and has his fill, and the shy and retiring Beverly takes his sloppy seconds, while the women are unaware of the duality. David Cronenberg's blackly comic thriller is an acquired taste, but Irons's bravura performance is thrilling to watch; he reportedly had separate dressing rooms and wardrobes to help delineate the characters.

© Rex Features Moviestore Collection Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Lindsay Lohan as Hallie Parker and Annie James (The Parent Trap) If you can take the heartache of watching a fresh-faced, 11-year-old Lindsay light up the screen, this is a genuinely great breakthrough performance. Taking on the dual roles originally made famous by Hayley Mills, Lohan plays twin sisters Hallie and Annie, who were separated shortly after birth and grew up on opposite sides of the pond, but reconnect at summer camp. What she pulls off is no mean feat for an actor of any age; both characters are charming in distinct, specific ways and their interactions feel entirely natural. © Rex Features Col Pics/Everett Armie Hammer as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (The Social Network) Eisenberg might have sought some doubling advice from his Social Network co-star Hammer, who played Mark Zuckerberg's twin nemeses. Dubbed "the Winklevi", the pair initially enlist Zuckerberg to work on their nascent Harvard dating website, but are ditched once Facebook is born, and later sue for intellectual property theft.

While the twins are largely a comedic foil for Zuckerberg, Hammer has enough presence not to be entirely overshadowed by Eisenberg's performance, and their indignant confrontation with Harvard president Larry Summers (Douglas Urbanski) is a sly highlight. © Rex Features Snap Stills Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman (Adaptation) Cage already had form in this area, having swapped roles with John Travolta midway through Face/Off five years prior. But Spike Jonze's meta-comedy cast Cage in the lead roles of blocked writer Charlie Kaufman and his freeloading twin brother Donald, and the two characters are utterly distinct - one neurotic and controlling, the other essentially sweet and naÃ¯ve. It's performances like this that make Cage's recent career suicide really baffling. Michael J Fox as Marty McFly, Marty McFly Jr and Marlene McFly (Back to the Future Part II) After tumbling back three decades in 1985 classic Back to the Future, Marty McFly leapt forward 30 years into his future to see what his life would become. What he saw was a lot of people who looked an awful lot like he did.

Michael J Fox pulled off a triple shift as Marty, his 2015 son Marty McFly Jr and his daughter Marlene. We'll admit that the last one was a tad weird. Fox even played Marty's great-great-grandparent Seamus McFly in Back to the Future Part III, with a dubious Irish accent to complement it. © Rex Features Everett Collection Mike Myers as Austin Powers and Dr Evil (Austin Powers series) The law of diminishing returns undeniably applies both to the Powers series and to the number of roles Myers played in it â€“ his later characters Fat Bastard and Goldmember were less successful, but one-man innuendo machine Austin Powers and his cackling nemesis Dr Evil are undeniably iconic, despite being intentionally stock caricatures. © Rex Features Touchstone/Everett Christian Bale as Alfred and Frederick Borden (The Prestige) Because the revelation of magician Alfred Borden's secret double is held back until the final moments of Christopher Nolan's mind-bender, Bale doesn't immediately come to mind as a dual performer.

It's only when you re-watch the film, and start trying to pinpoint the scenes in which Alfred is actually Frederick, that you notice just how many subtle nuances Bale is bringing to differentiate the two, particularly in his interactions with his increasingly desperate wife Sarah (Rebecca Hall). Jake Gyllenhaal as Adam Bell and Anthony St Claire (Enemy) Judging by the unsettling trailer and early buzz for psychological thriller Enemy, Gyllenhaal's inclusion here won't look out of place come the film's UK release in May. In a performance which the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips praised for "delineating the character differences and confidence levels of the two leading roles", Gyllenhaal reunites with Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve to play a teacher who becomes obsessed with his own doppelganger. What do the cast of Back to the Future look like now? Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, more What do the cast of Back to the Future look like now? Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, more As the '80s classic celebrates its 30th birthday, we find out what happened to the cast.

Don't Miss Share December 01 2016 12:15 PM Share November 09 2016 7:24 PM Share October 05 2016 8:55 AM Share July 18 2016 8:53 PM June 30 2016 1:10 PM Latest News Share 1 hour ago 9:47 AM Share 2 hours ago 8:36 AM Share 8 hours ago 2:57 AM 11 hours ago 12:12 AM Must Read Share 11 hours ago 11:41 PM 3 July 2015 9:30 AM Shares In the run-up to Back to the Future's 30th anniversary on July 3, Digital Spy presents a week of special features celebrating the time-travel classic. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Great Scott! Has it really been 30 years? Back to the Future celebrates a landmark anniversary this week, so to mark the occasion we take a look back at the film to find out what the cast were doing then and where they are now.

We get all misty-eyed and nostalgic about Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and their BTTF cast-mates below! Michael J Fox © Rex Shutterstock Moviestore Collection/Bryan Steffy/Getty Images A huge teen idol thanks to his role in sitcom Family Ties, Fox initially wasn't able to play Marty McFly due to a scheduling conflict with his TV show. The part of Marty went to Eric Stoltz, he was fired five weeks into filming, then Fox jumped on board as a last-minute replacement. The schedule was gruelling (10am-6pm on Family Ties, 6.30pm-2.30am on Back to the Future), but BTTF turned Fox into a big screen star. Notable roles in the BTTF sequels, Teen Wolf, Doc Hollywood and sitcom Spin City followed, but Fox's Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 1991 meant that he shifted his focus from acting to activism and founded The Michael J Fox Foundation. He's continued to act since, guest-starring in The Good Wife, playing himself in Annie and leading his own sitcom The Michael J Fox Show.

Christopher Lloyd © Rex Shutterstock SNAP Stills/Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Christopher Lloyd was a beloved character actor prior to playing Doc Brown thanks to roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Taxi and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, but Back to the Future made him an icon for a generation of filmgoers. Lloyd reunited with BTTF director Robert Zemeckis to play Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and also played Fester in The Addams Family films. Lloyd has continued to play Doc across various different platforms: BTTF video games, the live-action interstitials for the animated series, theme parks rides and even last year's comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West. Lea Thompson © Rex Shutterstock Moviestore Collection/Gregg DeGuire/WireImage A fast-rising star in the early '80s, Lea Thompson appeared in Jaws 3D, All the Right Moves and Red Dawn before landing the role of Lorraine Baines/McFly in Back to the Future.

After getting the hots for her future son, she embarked on another ill-advised romance in Howard the Duck (1986) and followed up with a part in the John Hughes-scripted Some Kind of Wonderful. Her biggest role post-BTTF was in sitcom Caroline in the City, which ran from 1995-2000 on NBC. More recently Thompson has been a regular on long-running show Switched at Birth on ABC Family. Crispin Glover © Rex Shutterstock Universal/Everett/Rommel Demano/Getty Images Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Glover got his big break in Back to the Future, earning a Saturn Award nomination as Marty's nervous, neurotic father George McFly. Superb in the role, Glover didn't return for the sequels due to a creative dispute and had to be replaced by Jeffrey Weissman. He later put those problems aside to reunite with BTTF director Zemeckis on Beowulf, and has also featured in Charlie's Angels, Alice in Wonderland and Hot Tub Time Machine. Outside of acting, Glover writes, directs and makes for a somewhat eccentric chatshow guest .

Thomas F Wilson © Rex Shutterstock Universal/Everett/Splash News Biff Tannen, the bully who terrorised generations of McFlys before getting his comeuppance (usually involving manure) was brilliantly played by Thomas F Wilson. Back to the Future was Wilson's first major movie role, and in the years after the trilogy wrapped up he featured in everything from Freaks and Geeks to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and The Heat. Wilson is also a prominent podcaster and comedian, with his stand-up sets featuring 'Biff's Question Song' - a ditty that seeks to answer every single question he gets asked about Back to the Future. Claudia Wells © Getty Images Imeh Akpanudosen A familiar face on TV in the early '80s, Wells made her movie debut in Back to the Future as Marty's girlfriend Jennifer Parker. She left acting in 1986 (following a role in the Fast Times TV series) when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Family became Wells's priority and Elisabeth Shue took over the Jennifer role in the Back to the Future sequels.

After a 20-year absence from the big screen, she returned with 2008's Still Waters Burn and reprised her role as Jennifer in Telltale's BTTF video game in 2011. Wells also owns and manages a successful men's clothing store in California called Armani Wells . Billy Zane © Rex Shutterstock Universal/Everett/Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Bonus Billy Zane addition! Though he wasn't one of Back to the Future's leads, Zane got his big break playing one of Biff's goons in the 1955 segment of the film. He returned for Back to the Future II just as his career was taking off (thanks in part to his sinister turn in Dead Calm). He later played a purple-clad superhero in The Phantom, while his turn as snivelling posho Cal "I make my own luck" Hockley in Titanic was another memorable role. Next year will see him reprise his role (as himself!) in Ben Stiller's Zoolander 2.

The Future Has Arrived; Today Is ‘Back To The Future’ Day « CBS Philly The Future Is Now; Today Is ‘Back To The Future’ Day October 21, 2015 4:44 AM By Justin Udo Filed Under: Back to the Future , Back To The Future Day , Back To The Future II , Justin Udo , Michael J. Fox By Justin Udo PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Today is not a national holiday, but for many people who love pop culture they are treating it like one. In the movie Back to the Future II, the main character, Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, travels from 1989 to October 21, 2015. So, with today being that date, the folks at City Tap House in Center City decided to have a party. “This is something we’ve been wanting to put together for years, literally,” said Andy Farrell with the City Tap House. “It is a Back to the Future themed, Parkinson’s disease fundraiser,” Farrell says during their party, they’ll show all three Back to the Future movies, make some drinks inspired by the films and play music synonymous with the blockbuster.

“We wanted to kind of build an event that’s going to engage people on a lot of levels,” he said, “and hopefully do some good for charity that night.” Farrell says part of the proceeds from the party , which runs from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m., will go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Back to the Future also predicted that in 2015 the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series, and to the surprise of many those Cubs are currently playing for the National League Championship Series. Justin Udo Justin Udo is a reporter and editor at KYW Newsradio 1060. He got his start in radio as an intern at his hometown CBS station, KDKA in Pittsburgh. He first came on board KYW Newsradio in 2009, working as a desk assistant, service aide,...

Question: What was the name of the character played by Michael J Fox in the Back To The Future series of films
Answer: Marty McFly