When someone is asked to think of the main characters from the Back to the Future trilogy, they likely only think of Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s “Doc” Brown. But, really, there are three main characters. The other is the antagonist, Thomas F. Wilson’s Biff Tannen, as well as his grandson, Griff, and his great-grandfather, Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen. In other words, while Fox had the task of leading the film and playing what amounts to a variation of his protagonist, Wilson essentially had to play the same role three different times in three different ways.
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The Tannens all carry certain similarities but, because of Wilson’s range as a comedic performer, each one of them plays like a distinct individual. What’s all the more impressive is the fact Back to the Future was Wilson’s first major role in a film (he had a background role in fellow 1985 movie Ninja Turf), and prior to this his on-screen experience was relegated to single episode appearances in Knight Rider and The Facts of Life.
What Sets Biff Apart from Other Cinematic Bullies?
For the most part, Biff Tannen is just three things in Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II: a bully, a chauvinist, and stupid (“make like a tree and get out of here”). But, thanks to the overall light tone of the film as well as Wilson’s self-aware style, he’s never quite an overbearing character. In fact, there are moments where the viewer comes to question why he is the way he is.
The bullies of Carrie and A Christmas Story are pretty despicable individuals. And like with Biff, it feels like they’ll never change. But thanks to Wilson, Biff is far more endearing, falling just short of despicable. It’s more like he’s overcompensating for his own perceived lack of intelligence.
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Griff & “Mad Dog”
Griff is Biff if he got even dumber. It’s a role Wilson gives his all, but is the least successful Tannen of the bunch, due to how he’s written. There’s but so far dumb as dirt can go and, thankfully, he’s not in Back to the Future Part II very much. And yet, Back to the Future Part II simultaneously features Wilson’s best work of the trilogy.
How? He not only plays the original 1985 version of Biff once more but also a future version of him, as well as an alternate time 1985 version of him (who was based on a certain now-political figure). And, while the Biff we see in the original film’s 1985 falls just short of being despicable, the alternate timeline’s version does not. He’s a murderer, and now he’s essentially holding the grieving Lorraine McFly hostage in a loveless, painful, dominance-fueled marriage.
It’s the chemistry between older Tannen and younger Tannen in 1985 that cements Wilson as the best actor of the trilogy. You truly believe the older version has contempt for the younger version for being such a dummy.
It’s also impressive how he can take two outright contemptible individuals (Part II‘s alternate timeline Biff and Part III‘s “Mad Dog” Tannen) of the same bloodline and make them distinct from one another. Both are murderers, both are selfish, and both are cruel, but “Mad Dog” is, well, psychotic whereas alternate timeline Biff is a devious greedy schemer without an original thought in his head and an axe to grind with everyone who doesn’t bestow him with a complement or kiss the ring.
Where Else Have You Seen (or Heard) Wilson?
Without a doubt, his role in the Back to the Future trilogy is Wilson’s defining work. But he’s proved to be a scene-stealer in other films and TV series, as well. For instance, one year after Back to the Future, he had a role in the entertaining and unexpectedly intelligent slasher April Fool’s Day. That film had an undercurrent of comedy, and Wilson’s at his best with comedy, e.g. in the Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy-fronted The Heat and the short-lived cult classic TV series Freaks and Geeks.
Wilson has also had a terrific career as a voice actor. Early on he voiced Biff (and others) in the 1991-1992 Back to the Future animated series before moving onto projects such as Gargoyles and Pinky and the Brain. But, when it comes to animation, he’s most well-known for his many, many roles in SpongeBob SquarePants, including Flats the Flounder.
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