NEED TO KNOW
Great Scott! It’s been 40 years since Back to the Future hit 88 MPH and became one of the most beloved movies of the ’80s, spawning two sequels and a devoted fanbase.
The time-traveling comedy premiered in theaters on July 3, 1985, featuring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc. After the teen begins doubting his future, he befriends the scientist, who introduces him to a unique invention that can take them back in time. In a twist, Marty and Doc get stuck in 1955, and they embark on an unforgettable adventure to return.
What unfolded next is what fans have kept rewatching year after year. Back to the Future was followed up by its sequel in 1989 and a third installment in 1990.
“When we made [the first] Back to the Future, we didn’t even think we were going to make a sequel,” actress Lea Thompson, who played Marty’s mom Lorraine, told PEOPLE in June 2025. “There was no sequel deal, there was no concept of that.”
So where is the Back to the Future cast now? Here’s everything to know about what the actors have been doing since they took the DeLorean time machine for a spin 40 years ago.
Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly
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Disgruntled California teen Marty McFly accidentally heads back in time, altering the course of his parents’ lives and his own future in the process.
Michael J. Fox was already famous thanks to his three-time Emmy-winning role as Alex P. Keaton on the TV show Family Ties. Following the success of Back to the Future (and its two sequels), Fox starred in a slew of movies and shows.
He appeared in Spin City, The Good Wife and The Michael J. Fox Show, earning his fourth Emmy in 1999 for his performance on Spin City. He later won his fifth Emmy 10 years later for his guest appearance on Rescue Me.
In 1991, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and opened up about it seven years later when he started a foundation to raise money for research. Fox was awarded an honorary Oscar at the 13th annual Governors Awards for his Parkinson’s advocacy in November 2022 ahead of the 95th Academy Awards.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a documentary about the actor’s life, was released in 2023. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it would go on to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary.
In May 2025, it was announced that Fox would return to TV for the upcoming third season of Apple TV+’s Shrinking.
Fox married Tracy Pollan in 1988, and they have four children.
Christopher Lloyd as Emmett “Doc” Brown
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Already well established in Hollywood because of his Emmy-winning role on Taxi, Christopher Lloyd played Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, the scientist who helps guide Marty safely through (and from) the past. He returned for both sequels and a short-lived TV series.
Since the release of Back to the Future, the actor has kept busy, starring as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).
In addition to family favorites like Dennis the Menace (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994) and Baby Geniuses (1999), Lloyd also voiced Hacker on the PBS Kids’ animated series Cyberchase from 2002 to 2022.
Other film credits include The Tender Bar (2021), Spirit Halloween (2022) and Self Reliance (2023).
In 2024, Lloyd made a guest appearance on Hacks, and his upcoming projects include roles in Nobody 2 and Netflix’s Wednesday.
Lloyd has been married five times; he wed Lisa Loiacono in 2016.
Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines-McFly
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Lea Thompson, a relative newcomer at the time of the film’s release, played Marty’s mom, who finds herself unknowingly crushing on her son when he goes back in time.
Thompson landed her own acclaimed mid-’90s series, Caroline in the City, and went on to secure more projects, including Hallmark’s Jane Doe film series and ABC Family’s (now Freeform) Switched at Birth. She was also featured in 1993’s Dennis the Menace with her Back to the Future costar Lloyd.
Rounding out Thompson’s impressive career on the big screen are her appearances in J. Edgar (2011), The Trouble with the Truth (2012), Left Behind (2014), Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018), Little Women (2018) and Unplugging (2022).
In 2023, Thompson starred on the CTV procedural series The Spencer Sisters. The following year, Thompson played Nancy on the Hallmark Channel series, The Chicken Sisters, which was renewed for a second season in April 2025.
Thompson has been married to director Howard Deutch since 1989, after the two met on the set of 1987’s Some Kind of Wonderful. Their two daughters — Madelyn and Zoey Deutch — are also writers and actors, with Madelyn writing 2017’s The Year of Incredible Men costarring her mom and sister.
Crispin Glover as George McFly
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As Marty’s dad, George — played by Crispin Glover — eventually made it to where he was supposed to be in the altered past and turned out even stronger in the future. Glover did not return for the Back to the Future sequels.
He is known for his eclectic role choices, including reuniting with Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis for the performance-capture movie Beowulf (2007).
His other film credits include The Doors (1991), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and The Bag Man (2014).
From 2017 to 2021, Glover appeared as Mr. World on the Starz series American Gods.
Claudia Wells as Jennifer Parker
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Claudia Wells played Jennifer Parker, Marty’s present-day girlfriend who bookended the film, supporting him in early scenes and reuniting with him after the climax.
Like Glover, she didn’t appear in the sequels and was replaced by another actress in the role, Elisabeth Shue, best known at the time for 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting.
After Back to the Future, Wells was a recurring cast member on Off the Rack and Fast Times before taking a break from acting in 1986. However, she would return in 2008 in the film Still Waters Burn. Most notably, she reprised her role as Jennifer in the 2011 video game Back to the Future: The Game.
Aside from acting, Wells opened a high-end menswear shop, Armani Wells, in Studio City, Calif. She and her husband share one son.
Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen
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Thomas F. Wilson portrayed George’s bully Biff, who was eventually put in his place thanks to Marty’s past antics.
Wilson played Biff and other members of the Tannen family in the two sequels and the Back to the Future animated TV series.
In addition, he has appeared on several TV shows (including Freaks and Geeks and Ghost Whisperer) and voiced different animated characters in the SpongeBob SquarePants film franchise and on The Spectacular Spider-Man series.
The actor also appeared in the 2013 buddy-cop comedy The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
Wilson married his wife Caroline in 1985; they have four children together.
Marc McClure as Dave McFly
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Previously known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Marc McClure played Dave McFly, one of Marty’s two obnoxious siblings, along with the late Wendie Jo Sperber as Linda McFly.
Like many of his Back to the Future costars, McClure has steadily worked in Hollywood since the film’s release in 1985, including appearances in Apollo 13 (1995), That Thing You Do! (1996), Daybreak (2000), Freaky Friday (2003), Coach Carter (2005) and Frost/ Nixon (2008).
In a nod to his past work in Superman, McClure appeared in 2017’s Justice League and 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
McClure has been married to Carol Courson Cowley since 1985, with whom he shares one child.
