'Back to the Future' Cast: Where Are They Now?
“Great Scott!” Back to the Future debuted in theaters in July 1985 — and has been a major pop culture staple ever since.
Michael J. Fox stars as teenager Marty McFly, who travels back in time from 1985 to 1955 with eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and meets his parents as high school students. Marty gets involved with his parents’ younger selves, running the risk of altering his future forever and narrowly escaping back to his own timeline before it’s too late.
The quirky action comedy spent nearly three months as the No. 1 movie in America and scored countless nominations, including Best Original Screenplay at the 1986 Academy Awards. Fans went wild for the film, which spawned two highly successful sequels in 1989 and 1990. While its legacy in the entertainment industry is undeniable, the movie had an even bigger impact on its stars than on its generations of fans.
“I didn’t think about having a film career,” Fox said during a 2001 interview for the Archive of American Television. “There was a silliness to the role that I think they kind of pictured me for. … Basically within a week, I was doing both jobs. I’d do Family Ties in the daytime and I’d do Back to the Future at night, I was working 18, 19, 20 hours. … Then all of a sudden it was a huge hit.”
Thanks to Back to the Future, Fox’s career reached completely new heights. More than 30 years later, the cast of the beloved movie still look back at their time filming it as fondly as ever. Fox and his costars reminisced on the project during a remote reunion hosted by superfan Josh Gad in May 2020 to celebrate the movie’s upcoming milestone anniversary.
“I didn’t really have any idea that this movie would still have people that want to talk about it. That’s so incredible,” actress Lea Thompson said at the time, before playfully recreating one of her most iconic scenes with Fox and Gad, who stood in for Crispin Glover.
Scroll down to find out more about where the cast of Back to the Future is today!
The five-time Emmy winner went on to play Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties (1982–1989) and Mike Flaherty on ABC’s Spin City (1996–2000). Fox took a step back from acting in 2000, two years after publicly disclosing that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He later created the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a cure for the degenerative disorder. The Canadian actor has been married to Family Ties costar Tracy Pollan since 1988 and the pair share four children: son Sam and daughters Schuyler, Aquinnah and Esme.
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After reprising his role in the Back to the Future trilogy, the Connecticut native appeared as Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991). He later delved into voice acting, starring in DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Anastasia (1997) and the Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall (2014). Lloyd has been married five times, most recently to Lisa Loiacono in 2016.
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The former ballerina’s most well-known role apart from Marty McFly’s mom is as Kathryn Kennish in the teen drama series Switched at Birth. Thompson starred on the popular Freeform show from 2011 to 2017, and competed on the 19th season of Dancing With the Stars with partner Artem Chigvintsev in 2014. The Minnesota native has been married to Some Kind of Wonderful costar Howard Deutch since 1989. The couple’s daughters, Madelyn and Zoey, have also stepped into the spotlight with budding careers of their own.
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The quirky comic actor has appeared in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Charlie's Angels (2000) and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). In the 1980s, he started his own publishing company, Volcanic Eruptions, which helped him get four of the nearly 20 books he’s authored on store shelves. Later on in his career, Glover moved behind the camera and directed two films: What Is It? and It Is Fine! Everything is Fine, which both premiered at Sundance Festival in 2005 and 2007, respectively.
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After his breakthrough role in the Back to the Future trilogy, Wilson did voice work in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series and in several episodes of Spongebob Squarepants since its 1999 debut. He made recurring appearances in NBC’s short-lived Freaks and Geeks and reunited with Back to the Future’s Christopher Lloyd in the 1994 film Camp Nowhere. The Philadelphia native shares four children with wife Caroline Thomas, who he married in July 1985.
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Wells nearly missed out on the opportunity to play Marty’s girlfriend in the beloved ‘80s film, but was recast in her role after her scheduling conflict was resolved. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, the actress put her career on hold to be with her family and founded clothing brand Armani Wells in her absence from the spotlight. She returned to acting in 2011 and has taken a handful of small roles since getting back in the game.
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The California native was featured in a number of different TV shows, including Once an Eagle, Happy Days and Cold Case, after reprising his role in all three Back to the Future films. In 2003, he appeared in the remake of Freaky Friday as a nod to his turn in the 1976 original. He tied the knot with Carol Courson Cowley in August 1985 and the pair welcomed a child together soon after.
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Before joining the Back to the Future cast, Sperber was known for her performances in Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and Bachelor Party (1984). In addition to her successful acting career, the California native was a passionate activist and founded the weSPARK Cancer Support Center in 2001 as a resource for families affected by cancer. She died of breast cancer four years later, leaving behind ex-husband Richard Velasquez, son Preston and daughter Pearl.
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DiCenzo appeared in more than 30 feature films across his decades-long career and later made regular performances on Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order and NYPD Blue. He was married to Donna Artz-DiCenzo from 1999 until he passed away in August 2010.
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One year before Back to the Future hit theaters, McCain costarred in both Gremlins and Footloose. The former Broadway star is also known for her role in the 1986 drama Stand by Me. After returning to school to earn a degree in psychology, the actress relocated to New Mexico, where she founded an experimental theater project based on the stories of local blue collar workers. Her most recent credit was in the 2018 comedy Ideal Home alongside Paul Rudd and Alison Pill.
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Other than Back to the Future, Tolkan had memorable movie moments in Top Gun (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987) and Dick Tracy (1990). He appeared in shows like Miami Vice, Remington Steele and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before taking on more than a dozen roles in A&E’s A Nero Wolfe Mystery in 2001 and 2002. The Michigan-born actor has been married to wife Parmelee Welles since 1971.
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