Where Are the Stars of ‘Back to the Future’ Today?

“Great Scott!” Back to the Future hit theaters in July 1985 and has remained a pivotal element of pop culture ever since.

Michael J. Fox plays teenager Marty McFly, who journeys back in time from 1985 to 1955 alongside the quirky scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). During his time travel, Marty interacts with his parents as high school students, risking the alteration of his future and narrowly making it back to his own timeline before it’s too late.

This eccentric action-comedy dominated the box office for nearly three months as the top film in America, garnering numerous nominations, including Best Original Screenplay at the 1986 Academy Awards. The film’s success led to two highly popular sequels released in 1989 and 1990. While its influence in the entertainment industry is beyond question, the film profoundly impacted its stars as well.

“I never envisioned having a film career,” Fox shared during a 2001 interview with the Archive of American Television. “There was a certain playfulness to the role that I think they anticipated for me. … Within a week, I was handling both jobs: filming Family Ties during the day and working on Back to the Future at night, logging 18, 19, 20-hour days. … And then it exploded into a massive hit.”

Thanks to Back to the Future, Fox’s career soared to new heights. Over 30 years later, the cast of the cherished movie still fondly recalls their time on set. In May 2020, Fox and his co-stars reunited remotely, hosted by superfan Josh Gad, to commemorate the film’s upcoming anniversary.

“I never really anticipated that this movie would have such a lasting impact and still have people wanting to discuss it. That’s remarkable,” actress Lea Thompson remarked during the reunion, before playfully reenacting one of her most memorable scenes with Fox and Gad, who stepped in for Crispin Glover.

Scroll down to discover where the stars of Back to the Future are today!