No one gives Thomas F. Wilson his due. The guy played one of the greatest villains in cinema history and no one let him do anything else. He’s like the J.D. Salinger of acting. Not only that, but he played totally different versions of that villain. The only equivalent I can think of is Kelsey Grammer playing the same character, Frasier Crane, for forty years. I mean, let’s think about it. How many different roles did he play over the trilogy?
| YEAR | ROLE | PIC |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | George McFly’s boss Biff |  |
| 1955 | teenage bully Biff |  |
| 1985 | subservient Biff |  |
| 2015 | elder Biff |  |
| 2015 | hophead Griff |  |
| 1985 | Donald Trump Biff |  |
| 1955 | teenage bully Biff, expanded edition |  |
| 1885 | Old West Biff |  |
| 1985 | subservient Biff one more time | |
That’s nine different characters. And he makes them totally distinct. Not only distinct, but interesting and humorous and reactive and portraying a wide range of emotions. The guy’s just amazing, way more amazing than anyone gives him credit for. He played the perfect bully. Big, dumb, and hostile. And played him from adult to teen. But who’s always on the list for best villain? Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, Wicked Witch. I don’t see how any of these could be as hard as having to play the same character nine different ways over three movies.
I think he does the best acting in the movie by far. Better than Christopher Lloyd or Michael J. Fox (although I certainly don’t want to take anything away from them). But they got more fame because they were stars before they made the movie (Family Ties and Taxi). Meanwhile, poor Thomas F. Wilson plays nine different heavies because it’s funny, it’s what the plot calls for, yet he did it. Like sketch comedy, it looks like about a four or five in toughness, but it’s actually seven or eight.
He does his best acting when playing 1955 teenage Biff. He has to be comical and threatening. Plus, the little details like getting idioms wrong, licking the lips, that psychotic scowl he makes when he’s assaulting Lorraine in movie 1 or about to run over Marty in movie 2. Then shrieking like a tweaked-out Max Headroom as 2015 Biff’s grandson. He knows a thing that can’t be taught. But Hollywood has wasted him since. What was he in after that? April Fool’s Day? Wing Commander?
The lines seem to flow out of him naturally. That sounds cheesy, but you know why I find it amazing? Because Thomas F. Wilson is nothing like his character. In high school, he was on the debate team. He played tuba. He was a drum major in the marching band. He was the real-life George McFly. And here he is playing the exact opposite. Like he’s taking his previous experience of being a nerd and refocusing it into its opposite, like a prism. How does he do that? Some actors get a lot of credit, but they’re just playing themselves. Like Kevin Hart, Jack Nicholson, John Malkovich, Bruce Willis. Mo’Nique got an Academy Award for Precious, but she grew up like that. That environment’s in her blood, in her psyche. She didn’t reach deep down for anything.
Meanwhile, here we’ve got an actor who plays all kinds of characters. From the guy making a doofy face as he heads into a pile of manure to “I think you got the wrong car, McFly. Just turn around, McFly, and walk away.” Channeling Anthony Perkins from Psycho.
Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. We should give the devil his due.
