Thomas F. Wilson

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Thomas F. Wilson

Born Thomas Francis Wilson Jr
April 15, 1959 (1959-04-15) (age 49)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Other name(s) Tom Wilson
Spouse(s) Caroline Thomas (July 6, 1985– present); 4 children

Thomas Francis Wilson, Jr. (born April 15, 1959) is an American character actor, comedian, writer, musician, painter and voice-over artist. He is also a born again Christian.[citation needed] He studied international politics at Arizona State University. 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.

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[edit] Biography

Wilson was born in Philadelphia, 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. 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.

His breakthrough role was as a bully named Biff Tannen in the movie Back to the Future (1985). 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 naturally asked to perform in these sequels again as Biff's grandson Griff and Biff's great-grandfather Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen. His famous saying is "What are you looking at, Butthead?" and in every Back to the Future movie he always ended up in manure. He reprised his role as Biff and voiced various Tannen relatives in the franchise's animated series.

Wilson's role as a Detroit police officer in Action Jackson (1988) paved the way for other film work.

[edit] 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 a CD-ROM computer game with Mark Hamill titled: Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (1994). 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; Fredricks dated Bill Haverchuck's mother. He was also briefly reunited with his Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd in the 1994 film Camp Nowhere.

[edit] 2000s

Starting in the early 21st century, Thomas could be seen at St. Timothy's Catholic church in Mesa, Arizona, where he would volunteer as a singer in the church's band.

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 entitled 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".

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

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

[edit] Painting

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

[edit] Commendations

Wilson has been commended with an engraved trophy made to look like the Hill Valley Courthouse by the Back to the Future society in honor of his noted support of the Michael J. Fox Parkinsons Foundation out of respect for his Back to the Future costar.[citation needed]

[edit] Selected Filmography

[edit] External links