The actor who played the bully, Biff Tannen, in “Back to the Future” is named Thomas F. Wilson. He was so perfect in the role, so convincing, and — as a consequence — so easy to loathe and despise that this might have not always worked to his advantage.
And it is sad, because when I saw him interviewed years later, I thought, “What a nice guy.” I mean, there is every reason to think he is perfectly nice in real life.
I just checked on , and I discovered — to my satisfaction — that he’s continued to get a lot of work over the years… basically in supporting and guest stars on television series.
To my knowledge, he probably never again played a character quite as pivotal in such a big hit as in “Back to the Future.” I have trouble picturing him not being as awful as Biff. He was just too good as the ultimate repulsive bully. I mean, who doesn’t hate Biff?