Biff Tannen

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Biff Tannen
Back to the Future character
BiffTannenBackToTheFuture1985.jpg
Thomas F. Wilson as Biff in Back to the Future (1985)
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
  • Kid Beyond (The Game)
  • Thomas F. Wilson
    (The Animated series; The Game, 2015-re-release)
In-universe information
Full nameBiff Tannen
Family Irving "Kid" Tannen (father)
Children Biff Tannen, Jr.
Relatives
Time travel
Original time1955, 1985, 1985A, 2015
Years visited1955 (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.

Contents

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".

Role in the Back to the Future franchise

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.

Biff's relationships

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.

Tannen Family

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.

Ancestors

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.

Biff's children

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".

Character creation

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]

Related Research Articles

<i>Back to the Future</i> 1985 film by Robert Zemeckis

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.

<i>Back to the Future Part II</i> 1989 film by Robert Zemeckis

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.

<i>Back to the Future Part III</i> 1990 film by Robert Zemeckis

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas F. Wilson</span> American actor (born 1959)

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 (<i>Back to the Future</i>) Fictional city in the Back to the Future film trilogy

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty McFly</span> Protagonist of the Back to the Future franchise

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Gale</span> American writer, producer and film director

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".

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<i>Back to the Future</i> (TV series) American animated television series (1991–1992)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmett Brown</span> Fictional character in the Back to the Future franchise

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References

  1. "See the full cast for Broadway's 'Back to the Future: The Musical'". Entertainment Weekly .
  2. "Back To The Future". Scifiscripts.com. March 18, 1952. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  3. Freer, Ian. "The making of Back to the Future", Empire , January 2003.
  4. "Q&A with Director Robert Zemeckis & Producer Bob Gale", "Back to the Future" DVD, Bonus Materials
  5. Lee, Benjamin (October 23, 2015). "Back to the Future writer: bad guy Biff was based on Donald Trump". The Guardian . Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Collins, Ben (October 21, 2015). "'Back to the Future' Writer: Biff Tannen Is Based on Donald Trump". The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  7. Stuart, Tessa (October 21, 2015). "'Back to the Future' Writer: Biff Is Donald Trump". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  8. LaCapria, Kim (October 22, 2015). "Back to the Future Rumors and Predictions". Snopes. Snopes Media Group Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2021.