Thomas F. Wilson

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Thomas Francis Wilson, Jr. (born April 15, 1959) is an American actor, writer, musician, painter, voice-over artist and stand up comedian. He is best known for playing Biff Tannen (and his grandson and great-grandfather) in the Back to the Future trilogy and Coach Ben Fredricks on NBC's Freaks and Geeks.

Early life

Wilson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in nearby Wayne, Pennsylvania. While attending Radnor High School, he was involved in dramatic arts, president of the debate team, and tuba player in the high school band. He studied international politics at Arizona State University. Wilson's first 'real' stage experience was as a standup comedian while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is a contributor to the Bob and Tom Show and is part of their comedy tour.

1980s

Wilson had a small role in an episode of NBC's Knight Rider in 1984. His breakthrough role was as a bully named Biff Tannen in the movie Back to the Future. Wilson's talents as a comedian and an actor combined to make Biff a character people loved to hate. When Back to the Future became a trilogy, he was asked to perform in these sequels again as Biff's grandson Griff and Biff's great-grandfather Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen. His famous catch phrases are "What are you looking at, Butthead?", "Say hi to your mom for me," "Why don't you make like a tree; and get out of here," "Hello! Hello, is anybody home?!," and the classic "Hey McFly!" In every Back to the Future film, he always ended up in a pile of manure — in each instance, Wilson's Tannen characters were trying to kill Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly. He reprised his role as Biff and voiced various Tannen relatives in the franchise's animated series. Wilson also landed a role as a Detroit police officer in Action Jackson.

1990s

In 1992, he voiced gangster Tony Zucco in the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series and police detective Matt Bluestone in the animated series Gargoyles. He later went to co-star in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, a computer game with Mark Hamill. It was the third chapter in the Wing Commander series and was extremely popular at the time. The game character played by Wilson is Major Todd "Maniac" Marshall, a fellow starfighter pilot of Hamill's character. Much like Biff from Back to the Future "Maniac" Marshall shares a very common unpopularity. Wilson also starred in the following Wing Commander games Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (1996), which was hailed even more than its predecessor and is considered by some to be a classic computer game, and Wing Commander: Prophecy (1997).

Wilson played McKinley High School's Coach Ben Fredricks in the 1999-2000 NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks. Coach Fredricks dated Bill Haverchuck's mother. Wilson was briefly reunited with his Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd in the 1994 film Camp Nowhere.

2000s

Starting in the early 2000s, Thomas could be seen at St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona, where he volunteered as a singer in the church's worship bands, including the band of Matt Maher.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003, Wilson appeared on the screen in a mockumentary movie called Trial and Error: The Making of Sequestered. Wilson has often lent his voice to animated productions such as Batman: The Animated Series (1993), The New Batman Adventures (1998), Disney's Atlantis: Milo's Return (2003), and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004). As well as the animated roles, he has continued to voice characters in computer and video games. His latest roles are supporting characters in the film Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector and on the TV drama Ghost Whisperer.

In 2004, Wilson played the role of Noah Curry in the Pasadena Playhouse production of the musical 110 in the Shade, also starring Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. In 2005, Wilson released his comedy album, Tom Wilson Is Funny!.

Wilson has transitioned into a career as a comic and musician and has recorded a song called "Biff's Question Song".^[1]

In 2007, Wilson appeared in the episode "Whatever it Takes" of the Fox drama, House M.D., as "Lou," the father of Dr. House's patient.

In 2008, Wilson appeared in the episode "The Baby in the Bough" of another Fox drama, Bones. He played Chip Barnett, owner of a tire recycling plant.

Wilson appeared in an episode of Boston Legal (Season 4, Episode 7), "Attack of the Xenophobes", as a former cop who is charged with murder.

To honor Wilson, Radnor High School chose Back to the Future as the theme for the LM Rally, and he appeared in the pre rally video.

Wilson performed "Sleigh Ride" with Relient K on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, playing acoustic guitar. The members of Relient K are big fans of Wilson and invited him to perform on the show with them.

In March 2009 he appeared as himself, busking, in Vidiotic, a comedy pilot on the British channel BBC Three.^[2]

Painting

Wilson is an accomplished painter. Many of his paintings focus on old-time children's toys. In 2006, he was selected to join the California Featured Artist Series at Disneyland.

Filmography

• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) - Catman (uncredited)
• Psych (2009) - Butch
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2009) - Sportsmaster/Catman
• The Informant! (2009)
• The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008) (voice) - Stan Carter
• Zoom (2006) as Dylan's Teacher
• Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006) - Bart Tatlock
• George Lopez (TV series) (2005) - Sonny
• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) (voice) - Fish #3/Tough Fish #1, Victor
• Atlantis: Milo's Return (2003) (voice) - Carnaby
• Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) - Coach Ben Fredricks
• Men in White (1998) - Ed Klingbottom
• That Darn Cat (1997) - Officer Melvin
• Andersonville (1996) - Thomas Sweet
• Born to Be Wild (1995) - Det. Lou Greenburg
• Camp Nowhere (1994) - Lt. Eliot Hendricks
• Caroline at Midnight (1994) - Officer Keaton
• Batman: The Animated Series (1993) - Tony Zucco
• Blood In Blood Out (1992) - Det. Rollie
• High Strung (1991) - Al Dalby
• Back to the Future Part III (1990) - Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen/Biff Tannen
• Back to the Future Part II (1989) - Biff Tannen/Griff Tannen
• Action Jackson (1988) - Officer Kornblau
• Let's Get Harry (1986) - Bob Pachowski
• April Fool's Day (1986) - Arch Cummings
• Back to the Future (1985) - Biff Tannen
• Knight Rider (1983) - Chip

References

External links

• Official website
• Tom Wilson's Big Pop Fun
• Official blog
• Tom Wilson at MySpace
• Thomas F. Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Tom Wilson at Scene Missing Magazine