Tech

THEN & NOW: The Cast Of 'Back to the Future' 30 Years Later

Madison Malone Kircher

2015-10-21T12:51:23Z

It's finally here. October 21, 2015.

If you've ever seen the "Back to the Future II," that day might sound oddly familiar. Wednesday, October 21, marks the exact point in time Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to in the future to save Marty's children.

While the Robert Zemeckis film didn't nail everything about the future (we're still waiting on our flying cars), he was pretty spot on about virtual reality and video-chatting programs like FaceTime.

According to "Back to the Future II," 2015 also marks the year the Chicago Cubs win the World Series.

It could still happen. The Cubs are currently playing in the National League Championship Series, an important step towards the World Series.

Until then, here's what the cast of "Back to the Future" has been up to since the first film released in 1985.

THEN: Michael J. Fox was skateboarding his way through the decades as the time traveling teenager, Marty McFly.

NOW: Fox can currently be seen on CBS' "The Good Wife," as attorney Louis Canning. In 2013, he also starred in "The Michael J. Fox Show," a sitcom loosely based on his life, which only ran for a year. Diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1991, Fox has become a major champion for disease research, founding the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000.

THEN: As mad scientist Dr. Emmett Brown, Christopher Lloyd traveled through time with his tricked out DeLorean.

NOW: After "Back to the Future," Lloyd nabbed a second Emmy award for his role in "Road to Avonlea." He also brought to life Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family" and the fearsome Judge Doom in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

THEN: Claudia Wells played Jennifer Parker, high school sweetheart and future wife of Marty McFly.

NOW: Wells is still best known for her role in "Back to the Future," but she's also had guest roles on shows like "The Mentalist" and "Fast Times." She runs a high-end menswear shop, Armani Wells, in California.

THEN: Thomas Wilson played Biff Tannen, a Hill Valley bully who picked on George McFly.

NOW: Wilson portrayed Captain Woods in 2013's buddy cop hit "The Heat" with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

THEN: Crispin Glover played the love-struck nerd George McFly.

NOW: Glover went on have roles in hit films like "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Charlie's Angels." He also founded his own production company, Volcanic Eruptions, and directed films that showed at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and 2007.

THEN: Lea Thompson played Lorraine Baines, who would later become Marty McFly's mother.

Lorraine Barnes McFly Back to the Future

NOW: Thompson plays Kathryn Kennish, a mother who discovers the child she's been raising isn't actually her biological daughter, on ABC Family's "Switched at Birth. "

THEN: James Tolkan portrayed the hated Hill Valley High School principal, Mr. Strickland.

NOW: Tolkan has acted in a number of television shows and films since 1985, but his most memorable role came just a year after "Back to the Future," playing Tom "Stinger" Jordan, the commander of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier in "Top Gun."

THEN: Donald Fullilove was working at Lou's Cafe and dreaming of becoming mayor as Goldie Wilson.

NOW: Fullilove's more recent roles have been in voice acting. He had a small roles Pixar's "Up," and "Wall-E," and has voiced several characters on "American Dad."

THEN: Elsa Raven was fund raising to save the Hill Valley clock tower.

NOW: You might remember Raven for her portrayal of Ida Strauss in "Titanic," the woman who chooses to remain aboard the sinking ship and die with her husband. Raven has also had a number of smaller roles in television shows like "ER" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

THEN: Billy Zane was palling around with Biff Tannen and terrorizing Hill Valley students.

NOW: Zane has since starred in two oceanic thrillers, "Dead Calm" and "Titanic." He's also known for his role as John Wheeler in 90s classic "Twin Peaks."

Digital Culture Then and Now