The cast of Back To The Future, lead by Michael J Fox, have come a long way since the film first came out in 1985.
From debilitating illness to many, many wives and turning to God, here’s what the stars of the film have been up to since…
Back To The Future cast now: Michael J Fox played Marty McFly
Michael J Fox, now 64 years old, found fame playing Marty in the franchise. But just a few years later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The actor – who was 24 when the first film was released – was 29 when he was told he had early-onset Parkinson’s disease. He went public with his diagnosis a few years later.
He has said he went through some dark times after being diagnosed. But has gone on to become an advocate for other people with the progressive neurological condition.
In 2000, the Back To The Future star founded The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and he has continued to act in shows such as The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Apple TV’s Shrinking and Designated Survivor.
Michael has been married to wife Tracy Pollan since 1988 and they have four children – Sam, Esme and twins Aquinnah and Schuyler.
He remains friends with his Back To The Future castmate Christopher Lloyd, with the pair reuniting on stage – much to the delight of fans – back in 2022.
Speaking about the film trilogy, Michael has previously explained why he thinks it still resonates today: “We live in a bully culture right now. We have bullies everywhere – you don’t need me to point the finger at who, but there are all these bullies.
“In this movie, Biff is a bully. Time is a bully. For me personally, Parkinson’s is a bully. And it’s all about how you stand up to them and the resolve that you take into the fight with them. It’s about your resilience and your courage.
“I think a lot of people are responding to the movie because it strikes chords they wouldn’t otherwise recognise.”
Christopher Lloyd played Dr Emmett Brown
Dr Emmett Brown legend Christopher is now 87, but continues to make movie and appearing in TV shows, including Netflix hit Wednesday, where he played Professor Orloff.
He is still close to Michael J Fox, and the pair pop up at Back To The Future conventions together. The actor has been married a whopping five times, tying the knot with current wife, real estate agent Lisa Loiacono, in 2016. They met when she sold his house in 2012.
He was 46 years old during the filming of the first movie in the trilogy – the third of which airs today (December 31). Speaking about the role that cemented his movie icon status, he said: “It continues to amaze me how deeply the Back To The Future films affected young people. It still comes up all the time.”
About the movie which ended the trilogy, he added: “Coming into III was like the home stretch. It was: ‘Okay, let’s have fun now.’ There was a little bit of abandon, which felt great.”
Back To The Future cast – Clara Clayton-Brown played by Mary Steenburgen
Mary only appeared in the third film in the trilogy, playing Doc Brown’s love interest, Clara, after they met in the Wild West.
Now 72, she’s been married twice – currently to actor Ted Danson. Mary had two children with her first husband, Malcolm McDowell, including son Charlie – who is married to Phil Collins’ daughter Lily.
Mary won an Oscar before appearing in Back To The Future III, and has continued to act since. She most recently appeared on Man On The Inside, acting alongside husband Ted.
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Back To The Future cast: Lea Thompson played Marty’s mum Lorraine
Lea wowed as Marty’s mum in the original movie and returned for parts two and three.
Now 64, she has starred in several films and had her own very popular TV series, Caroline In The City.
Lea has also dabbled in directing and has voiced characters in video games such as Mystery Case Files: Shadow Lake.
Elisabeth Shue played Jennifer Parker
Actress Elisabeth was quite the It girl of Hollywood in the 1980s and 1990s, starring in movies such as Adventures In Babysitting and Cocktail, alongside Tom Cruise.
She took over from Claudia Wells, who was Jennifer in the first Back To The Future film, for the second and third installment of the film.
The actress hit the big time in 1995 with Leaving Las Vegas, which saw her nominated for a raft of top gongs including an Oscar. Recent TV credits include The Boys and On The Verge.
Elisabeth, 62, is married to director Davis Guggenheim and is a mum of three.
Claudia, meanwhile, is now 59 years old. After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, she put her career on hold for family reasons, and didn’t return for the film’s sequels.
Jeffrey Weissman and Crispin Glover played Marty’s dad George McFly
Think of George McFly and you may think of Crispin Glover. But actor Jeffrey Weissman actually replaced Crispin in the sequels.
George McFly was recast in the Back to the Future sequels because Glover refused to return due to dispute over his salary. He also had disagreements over the sequels’ tone. As a result, producers hired actor Jeffrey Weissman. They also used heavy prosthetics, which sparked a major lawsuit from Glover for unauthorised use of his likeness. This controversy set a new precedent in Hollywood regarding actors’ rights to their image.
Michael J Fox said he “loved” working with Crispin. However, he has said: “His talent was unquestionable, although his methods sometimes created friction.”
Now 61, Glover has continued to act. He’s appeared in movies such as Charlie’s Angels and Hot Tub Time Machine.
Weissman, meanwhile, is now 67 years old. As well as acting in shows such as Diagnosis: Murder and Saved By The Bell, he also teaches in theatre and film technique.
Back To The Future cast: Thomas F Wilson played Biff
Thomas, who is best remembered as bully Biff, still acts and voices a bunch of characters in SpongeBob Squarepants. He was also in Sandra Bullock’s The Heat in 2012.
The 66-year-old actor is also very religious and in 2000 he released a Christian album called In The Name Of The Father. The father of four also paints.
Wendie Jo Sperber played Linda McFly
Actress Wendie played Marty’s sister Linda.
Sadly, in 1997, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She revealed in April 2002 that the cancer had metastasised throughout her body, and by mid-2004 she had undergone experimental brain radiation therapy.
She continued to work in television and movies during this period, including episodes of Unhappily Ever After, Home Improvement, Will & Grace, Grounded for Life, and the movies Desperate but Not Serious (1999) and Sorority Boys (2002).
She died from breast cancer in 2005, aged 47, at her home in Los Angeles, California.
Billy Zane played Match in Back To The Future
Actor Billy, now 59, played one of Biff’s besties, Match, in the film – famed for always chewing on a matchstick.
Since Back To The Future, he’s starred in Titanic, Memphis Belle and Twin Peaks. He’s also been engaged to Kelly Brook, and model Candice Neill, with whom he had two children. In 2022, he said he’d been single for “quite a while”.
Marc McClure played Dave McFly
Marc McClure is now 68 years old. He was best known for playing Jimmy Olsen in the Superman series of films, before taking on the role of Dave McFly – Marty’s brother – in the Back to the Future films.
Since then, he’s had a small part in Smallville, as well as roles in Justice League and Frost/Nixon.
James Tolkan played Mr Strickland in Back To The Future
Actor James, now 94, played Marty’s long-suffering teacher, Mr Strickland.
He also appeared in Top Gun, Dick Tracy, Miami Vice and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He appears as Strickland’s grandfather Chief Marshal James Strickland in the third installment of the Back To The Future franchise.
Back To The Future III airs today (December 31) at 2pm on BBC One.
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