Minor characters in Back to the Future films
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This page has character biographies on some of the minor recurring characters from the Back to the Future trilogy.
Contents |
[edit] Dave McFly
| Back to the Future character | |
 Dave McFly |
|
| David "Dave" McFly | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1963 |
| Age (1955) | Not yet born |
| Age (1985) | 22 |
| Age (2015) | 52 |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Played by | Marc McClure |
| Voiced by | n/a |
David "Dave" McFly is the eldest child of George and Lorraine McFly, played by actor Marc McClure. He was born in 1963 in Hill Valley, California and is the elder brother of Linda and Marty.
Dave is quite laid back, and likes to laugh at his own jokes. He has a close bond with his father in nearly all timelines, and is probably the McFly sibling who gets along with George the best. Dave likes to watch The Honeymooners with his father and has no real interest in sports.
[edit] Back to the Future
When we first meet Dave at the start of the film (October 25, 1985), he is working at Burger King where he may have been working for some time. Dave has to catch the bus to work (although in the novel he did own a tatty old car, much to the envy of Marty), suggesting that he cannot afford a car and/or the insurance for one on his wages. The job suggests that Dave may not have done that well at school, or he may have been bullied like his father before him.
After Marty returns to 1985 from 1955, he finds that his actions in the past have altered the lives of his family. Presumably due to having more confident parents, Dave has done much better in his life in this timeline and now works in an office, for which he has to wear a suit. It would appear though that even in this timeline, Dave does not have a car, as he seems annoyed when Marty thinks that the family car is wrecked (which it was in the original timeline). Presumably, he has moved out of his boyhood home, and was only stopping by for breakfast. When Marty tells Doc that George had stood up to Biff and Doc asks to see the picture, he sees that Dave is taller then Marty and Linda and Doc asks "Never!?" this is back in the original storyline where George is parked with Lorraine then Biff comes and pulls out George and nobody stood up to him so Biff was able to rape Lorraine causing Dave to be the first born and son of Biff and Lorraine's alcoholism.
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
Dave did not appear in the finished film, although he was mentioned by Biff Tannen in 1985-A. In this timeline, Biff has become rich (due to a sports almanac given to him by his 2015 self in 1955) and is now Dave's (and Linda's and Marty's) stepfather after murdering George and marrying Lorraine. Biff says that if Lorraine leaves him, he will have Dave's "probation revoked".
Dave does appear in a scene cut from the film however, where it is revealed that he is a drunken bum and an alcoholic (like his mother in the original timeline in the first film). He does not appear to have much contact with his family, possibly due to Biff, although he is pleased to see Marty ("our" Marty, not the Marty native to this timeline) in Courthouse Square. The scene was cut from the film for time reasons, plus there was no similar scene for Linda (as actress Wendie Jo Sperber was pregnant at the time and unable to film).
[edit] Back to the Future Part III
After Marty successfully manages to set history right by taking the almanac off Biff in 1955, Dave reverts to the office worker he was at the end of Part I, and is seen briefly at the end of the film as the family head out to lunch.
[edit] Linda McFly
| Back to the Future character | |
 Linda McFly |
|
| Linda McFly | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1966 |
| Age (1955) | Not yet born |
| Age (1985) | 19 |
| Age (2015) | 49 |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Played by | Wendie Jo Sperber |
| Voiced by | n/a |
Linda McFly is the middle child and only daughter of George and Lorraine McFly, played by the late actress Wendie Jo Sperber. She was born in 1966 in Hill Valley, California and is the younger sister of Dave and elder sister of Marty.
Linda takes after her mother in that she likes boys, and is always wondering how to get a boyfriend. She likes wearing eye shadow - a lot. She graduated from Hill Valley High School in 1984, and does not like to be the "answering service" for her family on the phone, but otherwise very little is known about her.
[edit] Back to the Future
When we first meet Linda, she does not appear to be doing much with her life. It is unknown whether she is in college or if she has a job, but she does not have a boyfriend as of 1985. Linda might be jealous of Marty's relationship with Jennifer Parker. She has heard the story of how her parents met thousands of times (yet still cannot remember the name of the dance they kissed at) and is bored at each retelling.
By the end of the film, we meet a different Linda due to the changes Marty made in the past. In this timeline, her parents were much more confident, and so is Linda. She now has a job at the boutique, and has lots of boyfriends including Paul, Greg and Craig. She appears a lot happier, and her dress sense is much improved in this reality.
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
Linda is mentioned by Biff in 1985-A - in this version of history Biff is stepfather to the McFly kids after becoming a millionaire (due to his older self giving him a book with sports results in back in 1955). Biff threatens Lorraine that if she leaves him, he will cancel all her credit cards. It would appear that Linda is struggling with debt in this reality. In the commentary for Part II, Bob Gale suggested that had she appeared, Linda would probably have been a hooker.
[edit] Back to the Future Part III
Marty restores history by taking the almanac from Biff in 1955, and Linda is restored to the person she was at the end of the first film - where she is stunned that Marty wore a cowboy outfit "to the lake" (in reality, he had just returned from 1885).
[edit] Marlene McFly
| Back to the Future character | |
Marlene McFly |
|
| Marlene McFly | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1998 (possible) |
| Age (1955) | Not yet born |
| Age (1985) | Not yet born |
| Age (2015) | Around 17-20 |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Played by | Michael J. Fox |
| Voiced by | unknown |
Marlene McFly is the daughter of Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker, and sister to Marty McFly Jr. Like her father and brother, she is played by Michael J. Fox. Her age is disputable - a draft script for Back to the Future Part II says she is 17 in 2015, like her brother, thus putting her year of birth as 1998. However, there is no mention of them being twins, and many fans think that she may be a year or two older than Marty Jr due to the way she acts. She appears to be within the 17-20 year range.
Marlene, like her brother, looks very much like her father. She appears to like talking to her friends on the phone, and seeing her grandparents; otherwise little is known about her personality.
[edit] Pre-Back to the Future Part II
After her brother ended up going to prison for 15 years due to being involved with Griff Tannen's robbery plans, Marlene hatches a plan to break him out of jail. About a week after October 22, 2015 (the date of the robbery, at 1.38am), Marlene attempts her plan, but is caught and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Doc Brown, visiting from 1985, finds out about this and traces everything back to the afternoon of October 21, when Griff convinced Marty Jr to join him. He heads back to 1985 to pick up Marty (and Jennifer, who happened to be there) and brings them to 2015.
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
In the future, Marty pretends to be his son. By saying "no" to Griff, he manages to save his future family - Marty Jr is now no longer involved in the robbery and Marlene will not have to break him out of prison. Thus, both McFly siblings are safe.
We actually meet Marlene for the first time in the McFly family home that evening. She is home alone, awaiting the arrival of her grandparents. She seems to get on very well with her Grandma Lorraine in particular.
Marlene attends the family dinner that evening, where she is seen speaking to someone over her phone-glasses - possibly one of her friends. She is annoyed when her father asks her to pass the salt, and later when Needles, her father's boss, calls later in the evening.
[edit] Mr. Strickland
| Back to the Future character | |
 Mr. Strickland |
|
| Mr. Strickland | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1920s |
| Age (1955) | In his thirties |
| Age (1985) | In his sixties |
| Age (2015) | In his ninties |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | None |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Played by | James Tolkan |
| Voiced by | n/a |
Mr. Strickland is a strict authoritarian with a strong disdain for slackers (particularly those of the McFly family). In this respect he takes after his ancestor Chief Marshal James Strickland of Hill Valley 1885 (as featured in Back to the Future Part III) who was constantly at odds with local outlaw Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. He is played by actor James Tolkan.
Strickland works at Hill Valley High School in both 1955 and 1985. His first name is unclear - the novel for the first film refers to him as "Gerald", but his office door in Part II says "S S Strickland". (The initials might refer to his title, perhaps "school superintendent".) He thinks that Doc Brown is a "nutcase" and does not want his students hanging around with Doc - this suggests that Strickland and Doc may have met in the past, or else Strickland just thinks that Doc is a nutcase.
[edit] Back to the Future
We first meet Strickland in 1985 when he catches Marty and Jennifer sneaking into school late. After finding out this is because Marty was at Doc's house, he warns Marty not to hang around with Doc before noting that Marty's band, the Pinheads, are auditioning for the dance that evening. Strickland informs Marty not to waste his time telling him that "no McFly has ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley". A fan theory suggests that Strickland asked the judges to fail the Pinheads due to Marty's "attitude problem", although there is no mention of this in the scripts or movies.
In 1955, we (and Marty) discover that Strickland is just the same as he will be in 1985 - except with slightly more hair. Strickland is chaperone at the "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance, where he is not impressed with "Calvin Klein's" (in reality, Marty's) music. A scene deleted from the movie has Strickland finding George McFly trapped in a phonebooth by bullies, although he does not let George out but calls him a slacker instead!
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
We meet a different version of Strickland in 1985-A. In the alternate 1985, Marty is mistakenly identified as the person responsible for stealing Strickland’s newspapers (although correctly identified as a slacker, a judgement reinforced by Marty’s own admission) and threatened with castration by shotgun. Strickland in this reality wears a bulletproof vest and has a scar on his face. Fortunately, at least for Marty, Strickland is promptly engaged in a firefight with a gang of gun-toting slackers, during which Marty makes his escape.
When Doc and Marty go back to 1955 to restore history by taking the sports almanac away from Biff Tannen, Strickland confiscates what Marty believes to be the almanac from Biff (but in reality is a pornographic magazine entitled Oh La La, but pronounced by Marty "Ooh La La) and labels Biff a slacker. Shortly after, Strickland unknowingly traps the hand of his future adversary Marty McFly between his chair and desk as Marty attempts to re-acquire Gray's Sports Almanac. Strickland throws the magazine in the trash, and soon afterwards Marty discovers that it is not the almanac, and the chase is on again.
He does not appear in Part III or the ride.
[edit] Back to the Future: the Animated Series
Mr Strickland does make a cameo in one episode of the animated series ("Marty McFly PFC") where it is revealed he was in the Army in the 1940's. He is not identified by name, it is his use of the word "slacker" that gives him away. In the "present" (1991 - 1992), it is revealed that he is now Dean of Hill Valley College.
[edit] James Strickland
| Back to the Future character | |
 Marshal Strickland |
|
| Chief Marshal James Strickland | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | Unknown |
| Age (1885) | Mid-fourties |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Blonde |
| Eye color | Unknown |
| Played by | James Tolkan |
| Voiced by | n/a |
James Strickland was the chief marshal of Hill Valley in 1885, and the grandfather of Mr. Strickland, Hill Valley High School principal in the 20th Century. Along with his unnamed son (presumably the father of S. S. Strickland), the Marshall was first seen attending the festival that celebrated the clock tower being constructed.
His name was not mentioned in the film, but was mentioned in the novel. It may be a reference to actor James Tolkan, who plays both the Marshal and Mr Strickland. The Marshall was given a full head of hair to make up for Mr Strickland (and Tolkan himself) being bald, according to Bob Gale in the DVD commentary.
[edit] Back to the Future Part III
He and his deputy made sure that no one went to the party armed, although Strickland missed a small one-shot pistol hidden underneath the hat of Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. Tannen snidely told the Marshal that he ought to smile since it was a party, but the stoic lawman simply replied he would only smile when he saw Tannen hanged. After Tannen and his men left, Strickland turned to his son and told him to always remember to value discipline above all else. Later, at the party, Strickland showed up armed with a rifle during a tense moment between Tannen and "Clint Eastwood," breaking up the confrontation and getting the party back on track. He was not seen again after this.
A deleted scene had Tannen and his men encountering Marshal Strickland and his son while en route to the duel with "Eastwood," and Strickland attempted to bar the outlaw's way. Tannen warned him to stand aside unless he wanted his son to see him die, and Strickland for some reason obeyed, but was then shot anyway by Tannen who rode off with his gang. As he lay dying, Strickland told his distraught son once more, "Remember, son. Discipline." This explains why it is Strickland's deputy who arrests Tannen later and not Strickland himself, but with the scene deleted from the film it is uncertain whether Strickland's death could be considered canon.
[edit] Match, Skinhead and 3-D
| Back to the Future character | |
 Left to right: 3-D, Match and Skinhead |
|
| Match, Skinhead, 3-D | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1938 |
| Age (1955) | 17 |
| Age (1985) | 47 |
| Age (2015) | 77 |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Match: Black Skinhead: Brown 3-D: Black |
| Eye color | Unknown |
| Played by | Match: Billy Zane Skinhead: J.J. Cohen 3-D: Casey Siemaszko |
| Voiced by | n/a |
Match, Skinhead and 3-D are the three high school boys who make up Biff Tannen's gang in 1955. They are never referred to by their real names or their nicknames. Their nicknames are only given in the films' novels, screenplays and credits.
Each gets his nickname from a distinctive character trait. "Match" often has a match sticking out of his mouth; "Skinhead" has very short, close-croppped hair; "3-D" is always wearing a pair of 3-D glasses (a reference to the 3-D movies that were popular in the 1950s). They seem just as mean-spirited as Biff but seem content to let Biff boss them around (perhaps because he is the only one of them with a car). They are played by Billy Zane (Match), J.J. Cohen (Skinhead), & Casey Siemaszko (3-D)
[edit] Back to the Future
The three are first seen with Biff when he shows up to bully George McFly about doing his homework at Lou's Cafe. They are also present when Biff nearly starts a fight with George's son Marty McFly from 1985 (who passes himself off as a new student named Calvin Klein) and then later when Marty does manage to start a fight with Biff at Lou's Cafe. After punching Biff, Marty runs outside, knocking Match, Skinhead and 3-D down on the way. When Marty tries to escape on a make-shift skateboard the gang chases after him in Biff's car. A brief chase ensues, ending with Biff's car crashing into a manure truck, causing the car (and the bullies) to end up covered in manure.
The three later show up with Biff at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance to get back at Marty, who has brought Lorraine Baines as a "date". While Biff tries to have his way with Lorraine, he tells them to take Marty around back so he can deal with him later. The three carry Marty over to a car and lock him in the trunk. Unfortunately for them, the car happens to belong to the band playing at the dance: Marvin Berry and the Starlighters, who promptly chase the bullies off.
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
In the alternate timeline created when Biff became rich making bets using a sports almanac he received from his older self from the future, the gang is still working for Biff in 1985A, apparently serving as his security. This is the only timeline in which they are seen after 1955. The three knock out Marty when they find him out in front of Biff's hotel and take him upstairs. They later chase Marty through the hotel after he confronts Biff about the almanac, though he manages to lose them. In this timeline, Match still has a match in his mouth in addition to wearing a cowboy hat, while 3-D has traded his 3D glasses for a pair of tacky novelty sunglasses, albeit with red and blue lenses, similar to 3D glasses.
The younger Match, Skinhead and 3-D also manage to cause trouble for Marty when he returns to 1955 to get the almanac back and restore the timeline. After Marty manages to take the almanac off of Biff at the dance, the bullies chase him through the school. Although Marty manages to lose them, the bullies spot Marty's "other" self performing onstage at the dance. Assuming it's the same person, they get ready to jump him when he gets offstage. To protect his other self, Marty climbs up into the rafters and drops a set of sandbags on them, knocking them out.
They do not appear in Part III (Buford Tannen has his own set of cronies in 1885, as does Griff in 2015) or the ride although J.J. Cohen would play one of Needles' gang at the end of Part III, possibly playing Skinhead's son.
[edit] Goldie Wilson
| Back to the Future character | |
 Goldie Wilson |
|
| Goldie Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | C. 1930s |
| Age (1955) | in his twenties |
| Age (1985) | in his fifties |
| Age (2015) | in his eighties? |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Played by | Donald Fullilove |
| Voiced by | n/a |
Goldie Wilson is a young black man working at Lou's Cafe in 1955 who goes on to become Mayor of Hill Valley in the 1980s. He is played by Donald Fullilove
[edit] Back to the Future
Chronologically, Goldie is first seen working at Lou's Cafe. Despite his humble background, he is an ambitious and confident young man who hopes to go to night school and makes something of himself. When he sees young George McFly being bullied by Biff Tannen and his gang, he tells George to have some respect for himself and not let people push him around. He tells George of his own plans to be somebody someday. George's son Marty McFly who has traveled back from 1985 recognizes Goldie and adds that Goldie will be mayor, unwittingly inspiring Goldie to run for mayor. Though Goldie's employer Mr. Caruthers scoffs at the idea of "a colored mayor", Goldie vows to become mayor and to clean up the town (to which Caruthers jokingly replies with "Good, you can start by sweeping the floor!")
Goldie's ambition would pay off as he would be mayor in the 1980s, and would seek reelection in 1985. A campaign van was seen advertising the following recorded message:
- "Reelect Mayor Goldie Wilson. Progress is his middle name. Mayor Goldie Wilson's progress platform means more jobs, better education, bigger civic improvements, and lower taxes. On election day, cast your vote for a proven leader. Re-elect Mayor Goldie Wilson..."
Coincidentally, this is the exact same campaign message conveyed by his predecessor, Mayor Red Thomas, who was running for re-election in 1955.
Fans have theorized that Goldie's vows to clean up the town would translate into attempting to reverse the urban decay prevalent in downtown Hill Valley by 1985. His efforts were apparently successful as the city centre has been restored to prosperity by 2015.
Not all his efforts were appreciated, however. The Hill Valley Preservation Society opposed his sponsoring an initiative to replace the clock tower, which had not run since being struck by lighting in 1955. They were successful in preserving it until at least 2015.
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
Goldie would not appear in Part II, Part III, or the ride, though in Part II, we learn Goldie's son, Goldie Wilson II, would follow in his father's footsteps, becoming mayor of Hill Valley by 2015. His grandson, Goldie Wilson III (also played by Donald Fullilove), would follow a different path, opening a chain of businesses providing hover-conversions for old road cars. Goldie III would appear in his own commercials and was not above name-dropping, specifically mentioning his grandfather's history as mayor.
[edit] Douglas J. Needles
| Back to the Future character | |
 Douglas Needles |
|
| Needles | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | August 6, 1968 |
| Age (1955) | Not yet born |
| Age (1985) | 17 |
| Age (2015) | 47 |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Played by | Michael Peter Balzary |
| Voiced by | n/a |
Douglas J. Needles (typically referred to as just Needles) is an acquaintance of Marty McFly and his girlfriend Jennifer Parker though likely not a friend. Unlike Biff Tannen who typically bullied Marty's father George into getting what he wanted, Needles appears more of a rival to Marty who can goad Marty into doing foolish things by calling him "chicken". He is played by Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
[edit] Back to the Future Part II
Needles is indirectly responsible for ruining Marty's life by talking him into racing their trucks. Marty ended up crashing into a Rolls-Royce. The Rolls-Royce driver ended up pressing charges against Marty, who broke his hand in the accident and would later give up on his music (it was not revealed until Part III, however, that the race had been Needles' idea).
In 2015, Needles and Marty were working together at a plant, with Needles being in a higher position than Marty (similar to George and Biff in the first film). Needles was attempting to convince Marty to join in on an illegal scam to make more money. Marty was hesitant at first but went along with it when Needles called him "chicken". Unfortunately, their boss, Ito Fujitsu, was monitoring the entire transaction and fired Marty on the spot. Whether Needles himself faced any consequences is unknown, however he seemed to be smirking as he hung up, so many think that he set Marty up.
[edit] Back to the Future Part III
Just after Marty's return from 1885 to 1985, Needles (now 17 again) met up with Marty and Jennifer at the point where he proposed the race. This time, however, Marty had learned not to lose his judgement because of name-calling and avoided the race, thereby preventing the accident and changing the future. What this means for Needles is unclear.
| Back to the Future Characters | ||
| The McFly Family Marty McFly | George McFly | Lorraine Baines McFly | Jennifer Parker | Seamus & Maggie McFly | Dave McFly | Linda McFly | Marty McFly, Jr | Marlene McFly |
||
| The Brown Family Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown | Clara Clayton Brown | Jules Brown | Verne Brown | Einstein |
||
| The Tannen Family Biff Tannen | Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen | Griff Tannen |
||
| Other Characters Mr. Strickland | Marshall Strickland | Match, Skinhead & 3-D | Goldie Wilson | Douglas J Needles |
