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Back to the Future: The theatrical film with the cast of a TV film

by adampkalb • Created 2 years ago • Modified 2 years ago
One thing that really makes Back to the Future stand out among great classic movies is that there is rarely any cinematic star power in it. Other than Crispin Glover, Billy Zane and Elisabeth Shue, nobody else in Back to the Future turned into very big movie stars after it. The only major part in Back to the Future who felt confined by TV is Crispin Glover, and he coincidentally dropped out from the second and third films because of a creative difference with Robert Zemeckis. It does make me feel better that early in Crispin's career, he worked with Michael J. Fox again as Doug Litman, one of Alex P. Keaton's friends in one Family Ties episode each before and after Back to the Future, and he got to share a later cast credit in What's Eating Gilbert Grape with Mary Steenburgen from the third film, and in 9 with Elijah Wood from the second film. Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson, James Tolkan and Mary Steenburgen were also rising film stars of the 1980s like Crispin Glover, but unlike him, they liked taking on some long-term television roles during their later years starting in the 1990s.

Back to the Future has a very special place in my heart as a classic popular film because it never relied on expensive star power or big special effects budgets to be successful and memorable. The Terminator trilogy made a big budget jump from 6.4 million dollars, to 102 million dollars and then 200 million dollars, mostly just to accommodate advancing technology for cutting-edge special effects that were used for the second and third Terminators. By contrast, Back to the Future, which made its first film one year after The Terminator was made, started with a budget of 19 million dollars, and only spent 40 million dollars each on the second and third movies. Back to the Future is a not-so-cautionary tale on how to make a very profitable movie by doing and making a lot with a little. It is about focusing more on making a great story and spending less money to help make more money back. While Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale were very genius writers for figuring out how to make Back to the Future work as a standalone film and not planning it as a trilogy to begin, but also gave it a good ending for possible sequels and had good new stories in mind that worked out very well for them when Universal renewed this franchise for two additional sequels, I also have to give kudos to David Neil Trifunovich and Ned Gorman for being the closest people Back to the Future had to a line producer. David Neil was the production buyer for the special effects, while Ned Gorman was the production buyer for visual effects, and they knew not to spend too much.

Back to the Future is known for being very re-watchable without having any A-list celebrities to sell possible viewership even retroactively. It knew how to rely on a really good script while spending as little money as possible on established stars and well-known actors of the time (except maybe Christopher Lloyd), and it certainly boosted popularity for a lot of TV actors who were still open to other film roles. Lea Thompson used to only act in movies in her early years, but has been more open to long-term television acting since Caroline in the City, which came 10 years after Back to the Future. Michael J. Fox had a pretty successful run of movies in the 1990s after Back to the Future, but he also returned to TV in Spin City and The Michael J. Fox Show. At the same time as when Michael J. Fox was working in Spin City, Lea Thompson was a main character in Caroline in the City and Mary Steenburgen was a main character in Ink. It had only one season to Caroline in the City's and Spin City's four seasons (Charlie Sheen replaced Michael J. Fox's position for the last two seasons because Michael had Parkinson's disease and needed to write out his main character), but Ink is probably where she met Ted Danson and remarried with him after divorcing Malcolm McDowell. However, I think the people dealt the best careers in their post-Back to the Future years are Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson, because they both got a big role in an animated series who is the opposite of their characters from Back to the Future.
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  • C. Thomas Howell

    1. C. Thomas Howell

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Director
    The Outsiders (1983)
    After an eye-catching performance in the teen coming-of-age epic The Outsiders (1983), ex-child rodeo star C. Thomas Howell was a promising young actor in the mid-1980s.

    Christopher Thomas Howell was born in Los Angeles to Candice (Webb) and Chris Howell (a professional bull rider turned stuntman). He started working in the film industry at the age of seven. In 1981, he was cast as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Shortly thereafter, he nabbed the lead in Francis Ford Coppola's classic The Outsiders (1983). Earmarked as an up-and-coming actor, his career soon skyrocketed with roles in films including the comedy Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, and the violent Cold War invasion drama Red Dawn (1984). His career was not helped by the controversial racial comedy Soul Man (1986), which was not well-received. However, he did meet and fall in love with his co-star from that movie, Rae Dawn Chong, whom he later married. He has notched up in excess of 90 feature film appearances. including starring roles in Side Out (1990), Gettysburg (1993), Baby Face Nelson (1996), Fatal Affair (1998), Asylum Days (2001) and Hoboken Hollow (2006).

    He played unpredictable Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek in the TNT drama series Southland (2009) and as the sadistic serial killer "The Reaper" on CBS's Criminal Minds (2005). More recent television appearances include The Glades (2010) (A&E) and Torchwood (2006) (Starz Channel). He appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) (Sony). A budding film director, he has directed a number of films, including The Big Fall (1997), Pure Danger (1996), The Land That Time Forgot (2009), and The Day the Earth Stopped (2008).

    Outside his acting career, Howell was an accomplished team roper and later, as 'Tommy Howell', a singer-songwriter.
    Amazon, Criminal Minds, Southland, Grimm, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Stitchers, Animal Kingdom, Outcast, Ray Donovan, SEAL Team, The Punisher, Bosch, The Terror, Obliterated
  • Eric Stoltz at an event for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

    2. Eric Stoltz

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Director
    Pulp Fiction (1994)
    Eric Stoltz is a theater-trained actor and producer who has starred in both independent and studio films. He was born on September 30, and is of Irish, German and Scottish ancestry. Eric was raised in both American Samoa and Santa Barbara, California, where by the age of fourteen, he was earning money by playing piano for the local musical theater productions, including "Mame" starring Anthony Edwards, whom he co-starred with as Jeff Spicoli's stoner friends in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). The two became friends, and then college roommates when both attended the University of Southern California. Dropping out in his junior year, Eric joined a repertory company that did 10 plays at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Moving to New York in 1981, he studied with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury, and soon appeared in his first film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). In the 1980s, he garnered attention (and a Golden Globe Award nomination) starring as Rocky Dennis in Mask (1985), and in John Hughes' Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). In 1988, he made his Broadway debut in Our Town (1989), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

    In the 1990s, he went back and forth from stage to film, building up an eclectic resume that included studio films (Pulp Fiction (1994)), independent films (Sundance Festival Winner The Waterdance (1992)), and films that he himself produced (Mr. Jealousy (1997)). He also continued to appear on the New York stage both on Broadway ("Three Sisters", "Two Shakespearean Actors") and off-Broadway ("The Importance of Being Ernest", "The Glass Menagerie"). He continued to work in television as well, doing a recurring role as Helen Hunt's ex on Mad About You (1992), a year on Chicago Hope (1994), and in the television and cable movies Inside (1996) (directed by Arthur Penn), A Killer in the Family (1983) (with Robert Mitchum) and The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) (with Dame Helen Mirren). Since 2002, he has concentrated mainly on directing, having done a television movie, several short films, several independent films, and television series such as Grey's Anatomy (2005), Boston Legal (2004), Nashville (2012) and Glee (2009). In 2014, he became the producing director of the CBS drama series, Madam Secretary (2014).
    Mad About You, Chicago Hope, Once and Again, Out of Order, The Triangle, Close to Home, Grey's Anatomy, Caprica, Blue, Madam Secretary
  • Michael J. Fox

    3. Michael J. Fox

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Additional Crew
    Back to the Future (1985)
    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 10-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 Signal Corps, retired. During these years Michael developed his desire to act. At 15 he successfully auditioned for the role of a 10-year-old in a series called Leo and Me (1978). Gaining attention as a bright new star in Canadian television and movies, Michael realized his love for acting when he appeared on stage in "The Shadow Box." At 18 he moved to Los Angeles and was offered a few television-series roles, but soon they stopped coming and he was surviving on boxes of macaroni and cheese. Then his agent called to tell him that he got the part of Alex P. Keaton on the situation comedy Family Ties (1982). He starred in the feature films Teen Wolf (1985), High School U.S.A. (1983), Poison Ivy (1985) and Back to the Future (1985).
    Palmerstown, USA, Family Ties, Spin City, Boston Legal, The Good Wife, The Michael J. Fox Show, Designated Survivor
  • Christopher Lloyd

    4. Christopher Lloyd

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Soundtrack
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Christopher Lloyd is an American actor with a relatively long career. His better known roles include drug-using taxicab driver Jim Ignatowski in the sitcom Taxi (1978), Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), inventor Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990), the evil Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and deranged Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).

    Lloyd was born on October 22, 1938 in Stamford, Connecticut. His parents were lawyer Samuel R. Lloyd and singer Ruth Lapham (1896-1984). His maternal uncle was politician Roger Lapham, Mayor of San Francisco (1883-1966, term 1944-1948). His maternal grandfather was businessman Lewis Henry Lapham (1858-1934), co-founder of Texaco Oil Company. Lloyd is a distant descendant of indentured servant John Howland (c. 1592-1673), one of the passengers of the ship Mayflower and signers of the Mayflower Compact.

    Lloyd was raised in the town Westport, Connecticut, which changed from a community of farmers to a suburban development during the 20th century. Many artists and writers from New York City settled in the town. Lloyd was educated at Staples High School. He was a co-founder of the Staples Players, the school's theatre company. Lloyd was interested in an acting career, and served as an apprentice at summer theaters in Mount Kisco, New York and Hyannis, Massachusetts. In 1957, he started pursuing acting classes in New York City. He took lessons at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, a full-time professional conservatory for actors. His acting teacher was Sanford Meisner (1905-1997), eponymous creator of the Meisner technique.

    Lloyd made his New York theatrical debut in a 1961 production of the play "And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers" by Fernando Arrabal (1932-). He was reportedly a replacement for another actor. He made his Broadway debut in a 1969 performance of Red, White and Maddox (1969). Until the mid-1970s, Lloyd was primarily a theatrical actor. He performed both on Off-Broadway shows and in Broadway. Lloyd made his film debut in the role of psychiatric patient Max Taber in the drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). His first major role in television was drug-using taxicab driver Jim Ignatowski in the sitcom Taxi (1978). His character was an aging hippie, son of an affluent Boston family , and former student of Harvard University. Ignatowski was one of the sitcom's most colorful characters and Lloyd won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

    In the 1980s and early 1990s, Lloyd played most of his most notable film roles. Lloyd was first nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his role as Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in Back to the Future (1985). The award was instead won by rival actor Roddy McDowall (1928-1998). He was nominated for the same award for his role as the evil Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The award was instead won by rival actor Robert Loggia (1930-2015). Lloyd also performed as a voice actor, voicing the evil sorcerer Merlock in DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) and historical figure Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916) in Anastasia (1997). Lloyd had another notable television role when cast in the role of villain Sebastian Jackal in the sci-fi series Deadly Games (1995). He also played the character Dr. Jordan Kenneth Lloyd, the despised father of the series' protagonist Dr. Gus Lloyd (played by James Calvert).

    Lloyd's last notable film role in the 1990s was playing the Martian Uncle Martin in My Favorite Martian (1999). The film was an adaptation of the classic sitcom My Favorite Martian (1963), and the character was previously played by Ray Walston (1914-2001). The film under-performed at the box office. In the 2000s, Lloyd played the role of recurring character Cletus Poffenberger in the comic sci-fi series Tremors (2003), and recurring character Professor Harold March in the sitcom Stacked (2005). As March, Lloyd played a retired rocket scientist who was a regular customer of the bookstore which served as the series' setting. In the 2010s, Lloyd returned to the role of Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in cameo appearances in A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) and Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016), and as the protagonist of the short film Back to the Future: Doc Brown Saves the World (2015). By 2020, Lloyd has never retired from acting and continues to appear in various roles.
    Taxi, Best of the West, Deadly Games, Cyberchase, I Dream, Clubhouse, Stacked, Over the Garden Wall, Granite Flats, 12 Monkeys
  • Lea Thompson

    5. Lea Thompson

    • Actress
    • Director
    • Producer
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Lea Katherine Thompson was born May 31, 1961 in Rochester, Minnesota. She is the youngest of five children. Her parents are Barbara and Cliff Thompson. Since all her siblings were much older than her, Lea says it seemed like she had more than two parents. The family lived in the Starlight motel, all the kids sharing a room. Things began to look up for the family when Lea's father got a job in Minneapolis, where the family moved.

    Lea's parents divorced when she was six, and her mother decided to maintain the family. This wasn't the easiest job, considering her mother was alcohol-addicted at the time. When she found the strength to quit drinking, she took a job playing the piano and singing in a bar to support Lea and her siblings. When Lea was seven, her mother remarried. Ever since Lea was little, she loved to dance -- ballet to be exact. She would practice three to four hours every day. Her first role was as a mouse in "The Nutcracker". After Lea turned fourteen, she had performed in more than 45 ballets on stages, such as The Minnesota Dance Theatre, The Pennsylvania Ballet Company, and The Ballet Repertory. She won scholarships to The American Ballet Theatre and The San Francisco Ballet. At age nineteen, she auditioned for Mikhail Baryshnikov, who later told her that she was "a beautiful dancer... but too stocky." Lea knew her dreams had been crushed. At that point, she decided to turn to acting. She began working as a waitress, also making 22 Burger King commercials and a few Twix commercials. She was perfect for these parts simply because she was the average girl-down-the-street, from the Midwest. Everyone who knows her can't believe she was and still is so completely different...trying to be independent and fight against the system. In 1982, Lea made some type of a computer game or interactive movie known as "Murder, Anyone."

    Her first role was in the movie, Jaws 3-D (1983), as a water ski bunny, although she couldn't swim or ski, which she still can't! There, she met Dennis Quaid, who became her fiancée and acting coach. Her next role was in All the Right Moves (1983), where she acted opposite Tom Cruise. Director Michael Chapman was so disappointed with her performance, that he almost fired her. Between 1983 and 1984, Lea appeared in other "teen" movies, such as Red Dawn (1984), The Wild Life (1984), and Going Undercover (aka Going Undercover (1985)), and believes it was lucky that, in these movies, they were able to use anyone who could walk and talk! Lea's biggest known accomplishment, and her big break, came from the first Back to the Future (1985). It was the biggest hit of 1985, and Lea was suddenly the most wanted actress. She could have her pick of any role she wanted to take on. She chose Howard the Duck (1986). Although it was a George Lucas production, the critics turned the movie, and Lea, down. Afterwards, director Howard Deutch offered Lea a part in his movie, Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), but she refused. After he urged her to do it, she reconsidered. She won the Young Artist Award for best young actress. During filming, Howard and Lea fell in love, and she called it off with Dennis. She then went on to film The Wizard of Loneliness (1988), which was her first movie as a woman, rather than a youngster. Lea went on to film Back to the Future Part II (1989) and an episode of Tales from the Crypt (1989). She then married Howard Deutch. She continued filming Back to the Future Part III (1990), Montana (1990), and Article 99 (1992). Lea then took a break to stay home with her first born, Madelyn Deutch.

    She jumped back into acting in Dennis the Menace (1993), where she says she just played herself. Then it was on to The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Stolen Babies (1993), The Little Rascals (1994), and The Substitute Wife (1994). In 1994, she had her second child, Zoey Deutch. Lea then went into filming The Unspoken Truth (1995). It was then that she was first given the script of a new NBC sitcom, Caroline in the City (1995). It was probably the best decision Lea ever made. She won a People's choice Award for best actress in a new sitcom. Unfortunately, with all of NBC's problems, Caroline in the City (1995) kept being moved to a worse and worse time slot, giving it horrible ratings. The show ended after only four seasons. Bad ideas from the creators (Julia, etc.) didn't help, either.

    Lea quickly went onto The Right to Remain Silent (1996), The Unknown Cyclist (1998), and A Will of Their Own (1998). She also guest-starred in the Friends (1994) episode, The One with the Baby on the Bus (1995), as "Caroline Duffy," and on The Larry Sanders Show (1992). Lea also did some stage work, including starring as "Sally Bowles" in "Cabaret." The show toured and also appeared on Broadway. She then did "The Vagina Monologues" in L.A. She had a stint in a dramatic role as a Chief Deputy Assistant District Attorney, "Camille Paris," on For the People (2002).

    Thompson has starred in more than 30 films, 25 television movies, 4 television series, more than 20 ballets, and starred on Broadway in "Cabaret." Lea can currently be seen on ABC Family's Peabody Award winning hit show "Switched at Birth," where she acts and directs. Lea's movie credits include: "All the Right Moves," "Red Dawn," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Howard The Duck," (star and vocals) Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar," the 2014 Sundance favorite Ping Pong Summer (2014), Fliegen (2005) starring Nicolas Cage, and The Year of Spectacular Men (2017), a film written by her daughter Madelyn Deutch. Thompson partnered with international Mirrorball Trophy holder Artem Chigvintsev on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars (2005), placing sixth.

    Lea lives in Los Angeles with her husband of over thirty years, film/television director Howard Deutch, and their two talented daughters, Madelyn and Zoey Deutch, along with many dogs, fish, horses, chickens, a cat, tortoise, and parrot. She supports and often performs for breast cancer, mental health, and Alzheimer's charities. Lea is currently writing her first book of essays.
    Caroline in the City, For the People, Ed, Switched at Birth, Penn-Zero: Part-Time Hero, Scorpion
  • Tom Wilson

    6. Tom Wilson

    • Actor
    • Writer
    • Producer
    Back to the Future Part III (1990)
    Tom Wilson is a creative artist whose professional career has explored almost every imaginable artistic discipline, blending them into a unique and very individual declaration of a life in the arts. A man of fervent but private faith his whole life, the last few years have been interesting, with hundreds of invitations to speak at conferences and retreats, as well as the opportunity to record the music that he began playing in church in the 1970s. Tom has enjoyed a successful career as an actor, writer and comedian for over 20 years. He has more than 50 films, television shows and comedy specials to his credit, and has appeared on talk shows with everyone from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno to David Letterman to Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford. As a voice-over actor, he has worked in dozens of animated series, including many episodes of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants (1999). As a comedian he has been a regular performer at the world-famous Improv and Comedy Store since the day he arrived in Hollywood. His self-written one-man show, "Cowboy Tommy," boasted a series of sold-out engagements. He continues to act in movies and television, and he performs comedy and music at theaters across America. As a writer and producer, he's written for several prestigious literary magazines, as well as for Universal Studios, Disney, Fox and Film Roman studios, and produced a groundbreaking series of debates for Canadian television called "The Seven Deadly Sins", which examined cultural values and the role of the arts within them. As an avocation, he is a photographer and painter, with a photograph in the permanent collection of the California Museum of Photography and paintings on the walls of the guest bedrooms of many close personal friends (or, as artists like to say, "in many private collections.") Actor, comedian, writer, musician, and artist - Tom Wilson has transcended the limitations of pop-cultural celebrity to become an artist of honesty, gravity and grace. Thomas is a graduate of Radnor high school in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was known for his comedic personality.
    Gargoyles, Wing Commander Academy, Fired Up, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Freaks and Geeks, Max Steel, Ed, Do Over, Help Me Help You, Ghost Whisperer, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Big Love, Dreamworks Dragons, Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Sydney to the Max, The Patrick Star Show
  • Melora Hardin at an event for The Proposal (2009)

    7. Melora Hardin

    • Actress
    • Director
    • Producer
    17 Again (2009)
    Melora Hardin is an American actress, singer and director from Houston, Texas who is known for playing Jan Levinson from The Office and Trudy Monk from Monk. She also acted in The Rocketeer, 27 Dresses, 17 Again, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Transparent, The Bold Type and The Hot Chick. She had two daughters with Gildart Jackson, a British actor.
    Thunder, Secrets of Midland Heights, The Family Tree, The Best Times, Dirty Dancing, Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family, Monk, The Office, Outlaw, Wedding Band, Transparent, The Bold Type, A Million Little Things
  • Claudia Wells

    8. Claudia Wells

    • Actress
    • Additional Crew
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Claudia Wells was born on 5 July 1966 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is an actress, known for Back to the Future (1985), CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984) and Back to the Future: The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition (2015).
    Herbie, the Love Bug, Off the Rack, Fast Times
  • Marc McClure

    9. Marc McClure

    • Actor
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Marc McClure was born on 31 March 1957 in San Mateo, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Back to the Future (1985), Superman (1978) and Apollo 13 (1995). He has been married to Carol Courson Cowley since 16 August 1985. They have one child.
    California Fever
  • Wendie Jo Sperber

    10. Wendie Jo Sperber

    • Actress
    • Soundtrack
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Though she was known best for drawing laughs as whiny, excitable characters throughout her raucous film and TV career, actress/comedienne Wendie Jo Sperber showed a brave, compassionate and humane side in the last years of her life.

    The California girl was born on September 15, 1958, in Los Angeles and developed a driving passion for acting in her teen years. She went on to attend the Summer Drama Workshop at California State University, Northridge. Producer Allan Carr discovered this comic bundle when she invited him to see her in an L.A. stage review. He gave her an unbilled part in the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John smash musical Grease (1978) and she was off and running.

    Other films quickly fell into place, notably I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) as a no-holds-barred Beatles fanatic, and the role of Linda McFly in Back to the Future (1985) and one of its sequels. Other films included Corvette Summer (1978), Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979) and Bachelor Party (1984) starring Tom Hanks. Some of her tongue-in-cheek film roles were beneath her, particularly when they used her excess poundage as the butt of a cruel joke, but the actress proved quite game in such lowbrow, youth-oriented comedies as Moving Violations (1985) and Stewardess School (1986).

    It was with a then fairly unknown Hanks and Peter Scolari that she earned her biggest laughs with the two-year run of Bosom Buddies (1980), which launched a number of inferior drag film/sitcoms. She also had series co-leads in Private Benjamin (1981), Women in Prison (1987), the plus-sized Babes (1990) and Hearts Afire (1992). In between were roles on the L.A. stage, including "Pizza Man," "Isn't It Romantic," "Reality and Other Nightmares" and Shakespeare's "As You Like It" starring Ron Silver.

    At age 39, Wendie was diagnosed with breast cancer. While her career momentum was certainly compromised, the comedienne continued to pursue roles. She even appeared on a poignant breast cancer episode of Murphy Brown (1988). Her cancer went into remission at one point but returned with a vengeance in 2002 and spread throughout her body.

    Instead of retreating, Wendie instead reached out and founded weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Sherman Oaks, California, in which free services, including support groups, information on the latest research and classes, provided invaluable aid to cancer patients, their families and friends. Her selfless determination throughout her illness to help others did not go unnoticed, earning several honors.

    Eight years later, on November 29, 2005, Wendie lost her battle. She was survived by her parents and two children from a former marriage. Per her request, close friend, former actress Nancy Allen succeeded her as executive director of weSPARK, which continues to serve cancer patients and their families into the 2020's.
    Bosom Buddies, Private Benjamin, Women in Prison, Babes, Hearts Afire
  • George DiCenzo in Dynasty (1981)

    11. George DiCenzo

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Additional Crew
    Back to the Future (1985)
    George DiCenzo was an American character actor, voice actor, and acting teacher from New Haven, Connecticut. His acting career lasted for about 30 years, and he had previously served as an associate producer for the gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows" (1966-1971). His best-remembered live-action role was portraying Sam Baines (Marty McFly's maternal grandfather) in the time-travel-themed science fiction film "Back to the Future" (1985). As a voice actor, he is primarily remembered for portraying stranded astronaut John Blackstar in "Blackstar" (1981) and the tyrant Hordak in "She-Ra: Princess of Power" (1985-1986).

    DiCenzo received his acting training from Milton Katselas (1933- 2008), the acting instructor who founded the Beverly Hills Playhouse. He later served as an apprentice teacher under Katselas, before branching out on his own. He used both New York City and Philadelphia as his home-base at various points in his teaching career.

    Towards the end of his career, DiCenzo voiced roles in a few video games. His better known role in the field was voicing crime lord Ennio Salieri in the crime-themed video game "Mafia" (2002). In the video game, Salieri eliminates a rival crime lord and becomes the de facto ruler of a fictional city in 1930s Illinois. He starts mistreating his own henchmen, until one of them turns against him and betrays Salieri to the authorities. The game had a number of sequels, but DiCenzo never had a chance to voice Salieri again.

    DiCenzo had his final film role in the drama film "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" (2006). The film was an adaptation of a memoir by film director Dito Montiel, concerning the troubling experiences which convinced him to abandon his family and few remaining friends in 1986. DiCenzo effectively retired afterwards, due to his declining health.

    DiCenzo died in August 9, 2010 due to sepsis (blood poisoning). He was 70-years-old at the time of his death, and was living in Pennsylvania. He was buried in the North and Southampton Churchyard, located at Churchville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. DiCenzo is fondly remembered for a number of memorable roles in his career, but he was better known for his voice rather than his face.
    Space Sentinels, Blackstar, The Gangster Chronicles, McClain's Law, Dynasty, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Hulk Hogan's Rock n Wrestling, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Equal Justice, Joe's Life
  • Frances Lee McCain

    12. Frances Lee McCain

    • Actress
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Frances Lee McCain was born on 28 July 1944 in York, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for Back to the Future (1985), Gremlins (1984) and Footloose (1984).
    Apple's Way, Second Chances, Preacher, The Girlfriend Experience
  • James Tolkan as Thomas Knight Sr. in Heavens Fall

    13. James Tolkan

    • Actor
    • Director
    WarGames (1983)
    Fiery, forceful and intimidating character actor James Tolkan has carved out a nice little niche for himself in both movies and television alike as a formidable portrayer of fierce and flinty hard-boiled tough guy types. James Stewart Tolkan was born on June 20, 1931 in Calumet, Michigan. His father, Ralph M. Tolkan, was a cattle dealer. James attended the University of Iowa, Coe College and Eastern Arizona College. After serving a year-long stint in the United States Navy, Tolkan went to New York and studied acting with both Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Actors Studio. Short and bald, with beady, intense eyes, a wiry, compact, muscular build, a gruff, jarring, high-decibel voice, and an aggressive, confrontational, blunt-as-a-battle-ax, rough-around-the-edges demeanor, Tolkan has been often cast as rugged, cynical no-nonsense cops, mean, domineering authority figures, and various ruthless and dangerous criminals.

    Tolkan first began acting in movies in the late 1960s and was highly effective in two pictures for Sidney Lumet: He was a rabidly homophobic police lieutenant in the superbly gritty Serpico (1973) and a sneaky district attorney in the equally excellent Prince of the City (1981). Best known as the obnoxiously overzealous high school principal Gerard Strickland in the Back to the Future films, Tolkan's other most memorable roles include Napolean in Woody Allen's Love and Death (1975), a ramrod army officer in WarGames (1983), mayor Robert Culp's mordant, wisecracking assistant in Turk 182 (1985), the hard-nosed Stinger in Top Gun (1986), the choleric Detective Lubric in Masters of the Universe (1987), meek mob accountant Numbers in Dick Tracy (1990), and Wesley Snipes' bullish superior in Boiling Point (1993).

    James has had recurring parts on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001) (he also directed two episodes), Mary (1985), Cobra (1993), The Hat Squad (1992) and Remington Steele (1982). Among the television series James has done guest spots on are Naked City (1958), Hill Street Blues (1981), Miami Vice (1984), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), The Equalizer (1985), The Wonder Years (1988) and The Pretender (1996). Besides his film and television work, Tolkan has also performed on stage in productions of such plays as "Between Two Thieves", "Wings", "One Tennis Shoe", "The Front Page", "Twelve Angry Men", "Full Circle", "The Tempest", "Golda", "The Silent Partner" and the original 1984 Broadway production of David Mamet's "Glengary, Glen Ross". When he isn't acting, James Tolkan spends his spare time collecting folk art.
    Remington Steele, Mary, The Hat Squad, Cobra, A Nero Wolfe Mystery
  • J.J. Cohen in Fire with Fire (1986)

    14. J.J. Cohen

    • Actor
    • Additional Crew
    • Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
    Back to the Future (1985)
    J.J. Cohen was born on 22 June 1965. He is an actor and assistant director, known for Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Almost Famous (2000).
    Valley of the Dolls
  • Casey Siemaszko

    15. Casey Siemaszko

    • Actor
    • Soundtrack
    Young Guns (1988)
    Casey Siemaszko is an extremely versatile American actor, known for his roles in the 1980s 'Brat Pack' films, although over the last three decades he has notched up an impressive 60-plus film and TV appearances.

    Siemaszko was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a Polish father and a British mother. His sister is actress Nina Siemaszko. His first film role was in the Rob Lowe vehicle Class (1983), which also featured John Cusack, Andrew McCarthy, and Alan Ruck. He appeared with Charlie Sheen and Chad Lowe in Silence of the Heart (1984) and, the following year, in both Secret Admirer (1985) with C. Thomas Howell and Back to the Future (1985) with Michael J. Fox.

    The second half of the 1980s showed no break from the 'Brat Pack'. Indeed, Casey took a role in the Stephen King-adapted and Rob Reiner-directed Stand by Me (1986) in which he appeared alongside John Cusack, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix, Kiefer Sutherland and Wil Wheaton. He again appeared with Kiefer Sutherland that same year in Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories (1985). A substantial role came with the Matthew Broderick comedy, Biloxi Blues (1988), and he reprised his role as 3-D in the sequel, Back to the Future Part II (1989). He saw the 1980s out with a starring role in the Brat Pack blockbuster, Young Guns (1988), alongside Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Phillips.

    Casey has added a string of quality movies to his resume, including a great performance in Of Mice and Men (1992) directed by - and starring - Gary Sinise, and based on the acclaimed novel by John Steinbeck. It seems he has left the 'Brat Pack' long behind, but nobody can deny the top notch performances he put into these great movies. In 2009, he appeared in the Michael Mann film, Public Enemies (2009).

    Casey starred in the Rob Lowe film, Killing Kennedy (2013).
    St. Elsewhere, NYPD Blue, NYC 22, Damages
  • Billy Zane

    16. Billy Zane

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Director
    Titanic (1997)
    William George Zane, better known as Billy Zane, was born on February 24, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois, to Thalia (Colovos) and William Zane, both of Greek ancestry. His parents were amateur actors and managed a medical technical school. Billy has an older sister, actress and singer Lisa Zane. Billy was bitten by the acting bug early on. In his early teens, he attended Harand Camp of the Theater Arts in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In 1982, he attended the American School in Switzerland. His high school days were spent at Francis Parker High School in Chicago, Illinois. Daryl Hannah and Jennifer Beals also attended Parker, prior to Billy's attendance.

    Soon after graduating from high school, Billy decided to venture out to California to attempt acting for the first time. Within three weeks, he won his very first big screen role in Back to the Future (1985), playing the role of Match, one of Biff Tannen's thugs. He would later reprise that role for the sequel Back to the Future Part II (1989). Then after a small role in the science fiction horror film Critters (1986), he landed starring roles in several television films. Billy played villain Hughie Warriner in the Australian thriller film Dead Calm (1989), where he met his future wife, Lisa Collins.

    He also co-starred in Memphis Belle (1990), a film version of a 1944 documentary about a World War II bomber. In 1991, he appeared as John Justice Wheeler on several episodes of David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks (1990). Billy starred as the eponymous superhero in The Phantom (1996) and as Caledon Hockley in the billion dollar grossing Titanic (1997). Then, he starred in the television movie Cleopatra (1999) where he met his soon-to-be fiance, actress Leonor Varela from whom he subsequently separated. In 2005, he had a recurring role as the poetry loving ex-demon Drake on the television series Charmed (1998).
    Twin Peaks, Boston Public, Charmed, Samantha Who?, The Deep End, Guilt, Curfew, MacGruber
  • Harry Waters Jr.

    17. Harry Waters Jr.

    • Actor
    • Soundtrack
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Harry Waters Jr. was born in April 1953 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Death Warrant (1990).
    What a Country, Adventures in Wonderland
  • Donald Fullilove

    18. Donald Fullilove

    • Actor
    • Additional Crew
    • Producer
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Donald Fullilove was born on 16 May 1958 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Back to the Future (1985), Up (2009) and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).
    Jackson 5ive, Emergency +4, American Dad!
  • Elsa Raven in The Amityville Horror (1979)

    19. Elsa Raven

    • Actress
    • Additional Crew
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Elsa Raven was born on 21 September 1929 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. She was an actress, known for Back to the Future (1985), The Amityville Horror (1979) and Titanic (1997). She died on 2 November 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
    General Hospital (1986), Wiseguy, Amen, Days of Our Lives (1994-1999)
  • Will Hare

    20. Will Hare

    • Actor
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Character actor Will Hare has been appearing on stage, screen and television since he was 17 up to his death at age 80. Becoming a veteran of stage for over a half of a century, Hare's film debut was Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956) and his final theatrical appearance was "Me and Veronica" in 1992. Hare's other distinctive film credits include Black Oak Conspiracy (1977), The Electric Horseman (1979) with Robert Redford, Eyes of Fire (1983), The Aviator (1985) with Christopher Reeve and Steven Spielberg's Back to the Future (1985). Hare was also an active member of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) for several years and also of the Actor's Studio, where he passed away of a heart attack in 1997 during a rehearsal.
    The Greatest Gift
  • 21. Ivy Bethune

    • Actress
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Ivy Bethune was born on 1 June 1918 in Sevastopol, Russia [now Crimea, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Back to the Future (1985), Get Smart (2008) and Will to Die (1971). She was married to Stuart Lancaster and William Charles Bethune. She died on 19 July 2019 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.
    Father Murphy, General Hospital (1987)
  • 22. Jason Marin

    • Actor
    • Cinematographer
    • Camera and Electrical Department
    Back to the Future (1985)
    Jason Marin was born on 25 July 1974 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and cinematographer, known for Back to the Future (1985), The Little Mermaid (1989) and Moving (1988).
    Starting From Scratch
  • Jason Hervey

    23. Jason Hervey

    • Actor
    • Producer
    • Writer
    The Wonder Years (1988–1993)
    Jason Hervey was born April 6th, 1972 in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Alan & Marsha Hervey, brother of Scott. At the age 4, Jason began his career appearing in over 250 commercials for some of Americas favorite brands. Before long, his visibility from the various commercials lead him to several appearances in some of televisions most notable shows. He also appeared in cameo roles in such feature films as Back to The Future, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Back To School, Monster Squad, Police Academy 2, Meatballs 2, Tim Burtons Franken-weenie and more. After appearing for two seasons in Different Strokes, Jason landed the role of Wayne Arnold in the Emmy Award-winning hit series "The Wonder Years". From this platform and experience Jason was able to leverage opportunities behind the camera as he began a career in producing. His first project was at the age of 17 whereby Jason created, starred in and produced 26 episodes of the Saturday morning series "Wide World of Kids". After 6 seasons and 29 Emmy Nominations for "The Wonder Years", Jason partnered with former Sony of America CEO Peter Guber in Mandalay Sports Action Entertainment,(MSAE). While at Mandalay Jason spearheaded a partnership with Time Warner's "World Championship Wrestling" (WCW) which yielded 17 original productions in television, home video and Pay Per View, an original soundtrack with Tommy Boy records and 4 television movies for TBS and TNT including one of the highest rated TV movies in the history of basic cable in which Jason was the original creator. After more than 5 years at Mandalay and growing that division, Jason had a short lived stint as a Chief Marketing Officer at a Fortune 500 company. Jason then returned to his roots in the entertainment business by partnering with long time friend, colleague and former President of Time Warners "World Championship Wrestling" (WCW) Eric Bischoff to form Bischoff Hervey Entertainment (BHE TV, LLC) Bischoff Hervey Entertainment specializes in content creation and production for various broadcast outlets, licensing and merchandising and innovative brand integration solutions. Jason and his family currently reside in Scottsdale, Arizona and Los Angeles, California.
    Wildside, Diff'rent Strokes, Fast Times, The Wonder Years, 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd, TNA iMPACT! Wrestling
  • Maia Brewton

    24. Maia Brewton

    • Actress
    • Soundtrack
    Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
    Maia Brewton was born on 30 September 1977 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Back to the Future (1985) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990). She has been married to Lara Spotts since 2008. They have two children.
    Lime Street, Parker Lewis Can't Lose
  • 25. Johnny Green

    • Actor
    Say Anything (1989)
    Johnny Green was born on 25 January 1972 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Say Anything (1989), Back to the Future (1985) and 100 Girls (2000).
    McGee and Me!, My So-Called Life

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