Biff Tannen | |
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Back to the Future character | |
First appearance | Back to the Future (1985) |
Last appearance | Back to the Future Part III (1990) |
Created by | Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale |
Portrayed by | Thomas F. Wilson |
Voiced by |
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In-universe information | |
Full name | Biff Tannen |
Family | Irving "Kid" Tannen (father) |
Children | Biff Tannen, Jr. |
Relatives |
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Time travel | |
Original time | 1955, 1985, 1985A, 2015 |
Years visited | 1955 (from 2015) |
Biff Tannen is a fictional character in the Back to the Future trilogy. Thomas F. Wilson plays Biff in all three films as well as the Universal Studios ride, and voiced the character in the animated series. Aidan Cutler played him in the original West End production of the first film's stage musical adaptation, and Nathaniel Hackmann plays him in the Broadway production. [1] Biff is the main antagonist of the first and second films, while his great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (also played by Wilson), is the main antagonist of the third.
Biff is portrayed as a hulking, belligerent, dim-witted bully who obtains what he wants by intimidating others into doing his work for him, or by cheating. He and his family members are shown to misuse idioms in ways that make them appear foolish and comical, despite their intention to insult or intimidate. He frequently calls others "butthead".
Biff was born in Hill Valley, California in 1937. He is the great-grandson of Old West outlaw Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, son of gangster Irving "Kid" Tannen and grandfather of Griff Tannen. As a vigorously hotheaded teenager in 1955, Biff is known for bullying George McFly into doing his homework for him while he drinks and hangs out with his friends. Feared by most of his schoolmates, his only friends are his gang (Match, Skinhead, and 3-D). The one person at Hill Valley High School that Biff fears is Mr. Strickland. He lives with his grandmother, Gertrude Tannen (voiced by Wilson), at 1809 Mason Street and proudly owns a black 1946 Ford Deluxe convertible. A running gag is his particular dislike for manure, displayed when he is shoved into large quantities of it at multiple points during the films.
In 1985, the still abusive adult Biff is George's supervisor at an unknown company who forces George to do his job for him until George's son, Marty McFly, changes history through his interactions with his teenage father, giving him the confidence to defeat Biff in a fight to save Lorraine Baines, his future wife and Marty's mother. Afterwards, the new 1985 Biff is a servile auto detailer in George's employ.
In Back to the Future: Part II , an aged and physically decrepit Biff steals Emmett "Doc" Brown's time machine in 2015 and travels back to 1955 to give his teenage self a sports almanac chronicling victories from 1950-2000, then heads home to 2015, hoping to gain a happier life as a result of his actions. Consequently, on his 21st birthday in 1958, Biff's younger self wagers money on a horse race listed in the almanac with the victorious steed's name revealed, winning his first million dollars and giving himself prestige and increasingly arrogant confidence. Despite his progressively gaining vast wealth and power through this "fixed" sports-event betting, Biff is still unable to convince Lorraine to marry him; as before, she marries George and starts a family with him. At last, Biff resorts to murdering George in 1973, and uses his money and political influence to cover up any evidence. Without George's supporting her and her family financially, Lorraine reluctantly accepts the well-to-do Biff as her new husband, thus creating a dystopian alternate 1985. The petulant and arrogantly tempestuous Biff never feels content in the marriage since he treats Lorraine as a prize to be won and possessed, and often lashes out verbally and physically; in a deleted scene, Lorraine eventually gets so fed up with Biff's overbearing hostility and abuse, along with finding out that Biff murdered George, that she shoots him dead some time in the late 1990s. This incident explains why the elderly Biff's actions have no visible effect on the Hill Valley of the future and, after returning to 2015, he clutches his chest in pain, sinks to the pavement, and fades from existence. Marty returns to 1955, carefully avoiding disturbing the events from his previous visit, and battles against the teenage Biff, ultimately recovering the almanac and undoing Biff's alternate timeline burning it.
In 1955, Biff covetes Lorraine Baines, who does not return the sentiments. In the original 1985, Biff's marital status is unknown as no mention of a wife is ever made in the trilogy.
The alternate 1985 reveals that Lorraine, widowed after the murder of George McFly, ended up marrying Biff in 1973 so that her children could live a better life. [2] In a video clip after their wedding, Biff is asked, "How does it feel?", to which he replies, "Third time's the charm", implying that he had two other wives first in this continuity.
Throughout the Back to the Future franchise, Tannen is shown to have various ancestors or descendants in various timeline who share Biff's character traits, and in the films, are also played by Thomas F. Wilson.
Back to the Future Part III shows Biff's great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, was a vicious Outlaw in the Wild West of 1885, Hill Valley.
By 2015, Biff has a teenage grandson, Griff, suggesting that Biff had at least one child by 1985. The animated series alludes that Biff has a son, Biff Jr, while the 2011 Game alludes to a daughter "Tiff".
The character is named for studio executive Ned Tanen following an incident years earlier where Tanen reacted aggressively to a script being pitched by the film's writers Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. Tanen accused the two of attempting to produce an antisemitic work with their 1978 film, I Wanna Hold Your Hand . [3] [4] Drafts of Back to the Future show the character with the middle initial of "H", but this detail was omitted in further revisions.
As the October 2015 date featured in the films approached, media outlets began noting the similarities between the alternate 1985 version of the character and Donald Trump, who at the time Part II was produced had just purchased the Plaza Hotel in New York City and, by 2015, was in the midst of an ultimately successful run for President of the United States. [5] When the comparison was brought to Gale's attention in an interview, he said, "Yeah. That's what we were thinking about". [6] Both The Daily Beast and Rolling Stone note the similarities of Biff's casino penthouse to Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino; [6] [7] additionally, The Beast points out that in Back to the Future Part II :
Biff uses the profits from his 27-story casino... to help shake up the Republican Party, before eventually assuming political power himself, helping transform Hill Valley, California, into a lawless, dystopian wasteland, where hooliganism reigns, dissent is quashed, and wherein Biff encourages every citizen to call him "America's greatest living folk hero". [6]
The fact checking website Snopes, however, doubts this claim, noting that neither Gale nor Zemeckis mentioned anything about Trump being the inspiration for the character until after comparisons began appearing in social media, and saying that it "appeared to be retrofitted to 2015's current events, not prescience on the part of the filmmakers". [8]
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, it follows Marty McFly (Fox), a teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean automobile built by his eccentric scientist friend Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), where he inadvertently prevents his future parents from falling in love – threatening his own existence – and is forced to reconcile them and somehow get back to the future.
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future and the second installment in the Back to the Future franchise. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson with Elisabeth Shue, and Jeffrey Weissman in supporting roles. It follows Marty McFly (Fox) and his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd) as they travel from 1985 to 2015 to prevent Marty's son from sabotaging the McFly family's future. When their arch-nemesis Biff Tannen (Wilson) steals Doc's DeLorean time machine and uses it to alter history for his benefit, the duo must return to 1955 to restore the timeline.
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, and Lea Thompson. The film continues immediately following Back to the Future Part II (1989); while stranded in 1955 during his time travel adventures, Marty McFly (Fox) discovers that his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), trapped in 1885, was killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Wilson), Biff's great-grandfather. Marty travels to 1885 to rescue Doc and return once again to 1985, but matters are complicated when Doc falls in love with Clara Clayton (Steenburgen).
Thomas Francis Wilson Jr. is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, podcaster, and YouTuber. He is best known for playing Biff Tannen, Griff Tannen, and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990). He also played coach Ben Fredricks in the comedy series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) and voices various characters, mainly villains, on the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants (2001–present).
Hill Valley is a fictional town in California that serves as the setting of the Back to the Future trilogy and its animated spin-off series. In the trilogy, Hill Valley is seen in four different time periods – 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015 – as well as in a dystopian alternate 1985. The films contain many sight gags, verbal innuendos and detailed set design elements, from which a detailed and consistent history of the area can be derived.
Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California, who accidentally becomes a time traveler and alters history after his scientist friend Emmett Brown invents a DeLorean time machine. He was created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. In the film trilogy, he is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox. Back to the Future established Fox as a film star, such was the commercial success and popularity of the film upon its release in 1985. Marty returned in two film sequels, Back to the Future Part II in 1989 and Back to the Future Part III in 1990.
Michael Robert Gale is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, film producer and director. He is best known for co-writing the science fiction comedy film Back to the Future with his writing partner Robert Zemeckis. Gale co-produced all three films of the franchise and later served as associate producer of the animated TV series. Actor Michael J. Fox has referred to Gale as the "gatekeeper of the [Back to the Future] franchise".
Back to the Future is an American science fiction comedy franchise created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The franchise follows the adventures of a high school student, Marty McFly, and an eccentric scientist, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown, as they use a DeLorean time machine to time travel to different periods in the history of the fictional town of Hill Valley, California.
Back to the Future is an animated science-fiction comedy adventure television series for television based on the live-action Back to the Future film trilogy. The show lasted two seasons, each featuring 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 14, 1991, to December 26, 1992, with reruns until August 14, 1993. Citing low ratings, CBS cancelled the show after two seasons. It was later rerun on Fox as a part of the FoxBox block from March 22 to August 30, 2003.
Emmett Brown, commonly referred to as "Doc Brown", is a fictional scientist in the Back to the Future franchise. He was created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. First appearing in the 1985 film Back to the Future, he is an eccentric mad scientist and friend to the protagonist Marty McFly. In the franchise, he invents a time machine using a DMC DeLorean. He is portrayed by Christopher Lloyd in all three films and in the television series and was loosely inspired by Leopold Stokowski and Albert Einstein. He is also voiced by Dan Castellaneta in the animated sections of the television series.
Back to the Future: The Ride was a simulator ride located at several Universal Destinations & Experiences locations. The first installation opened on May 2, 1991, at the World Expo area of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida. A second installation opened on June 12, 1993, in the Hollywood Lot area of Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California. A third installation opened on March 31, 2001, in the San Francisco area of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan. Based on the Back to the Future franchise, the ride is a first person adventure that takes place after the events depicted in Back to the Future Part III. Riders engage in a race through time in pursuit of Biff Tannen, who has stolen the DeLorean time machine.
Back to the Future Part II is a 1990 action game based on the 1989 film of the same name. It was developed and published by Image Works for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Master System, and ZX Spectrum. The game has five levels based on scenes from the film, and was criticized as a poor conversion of the film. It was followed by Back to the Future Part III.
In the Back to the Future franchise, the DeLorean time machine is a time travel vehicle constructed from a retrofitted DMC DeLorean. Its time travel ability is derived from the "flux capacitor", a component that allows the car to travel to the past or future. This occurs when the car accelerates to 88 miles per hour and requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.
Ned Stone Tanen was an American film studio executive. The films he produced were some of the most popular films of the 1970s and 1980s, including the 2 key Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire, as well as Smokey and the Bandit, American Graffiti, Coal Miner's Daughter, The Deer Hunter, Crocodile Dundee, Top Gun, Animal House, and many others.
Back to the Future: The Game is an episodic graphic adventure video game based on the Back to the Future film franchise. The game was developed and published by Telltale Games as part of a licensing deal with Universal Pictures. Bob Gale, the co-creator, co-writer, and co-producer of the film trilogy, assisted Telltale in writing the game's story. Original actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd allowed the developers to use their likenesses in the game for the lead characters Marty McFly and Doc Brown, respectively. Although Lloyd reprises his role as Doc, A.J. LoCascio plays the role of Marty, while Fox later appeared to voice two cameo roles in the final episode, reprising his role as future versions of Marty McFly in addition to playing his forefather William.
Back to the Future is a 1989 video game released by LJN for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is loosely based on the 1985 film of the same name. A sequel, Back to the Future Part II & III, was released in 1990.
Back to the Future: The Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard and a book by Bob Gale. It is adapted from the 1985 film Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis and Gale. The show features original music, as well as songs featured in the film.
Transformers/Back to the Future is a four-issue crossover comic miniseries from IDW Publishing that debuted in October 2020. The series is a crossover event to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Transformers franchise by Hasbro and the Back to the Future films by Universal Pictures.
The music of the Back to the Future franchise is composed in conjunction with the development of several feature films and a stage musical, within the Back to the Future franchise created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. All music in the franchise was composed by American composer Alan Silvestri, with The Musical being co-written with Glen Ballard.