Claudia Wells facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claudia Wells
Wells in 2022
Born	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1974–1986; 1996–present
Known for	Jennifer Parker in Back to the Future
Children	1

Claudia Wells is an American actress. She is best known for playing Jennifer Parker in the 1985 movie Back to the Future.

Early Life and Education

Claudia Wells was born on July 5, 1966, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her family moved to the San Francisco Bay area when she was very young. She attended Marin Country Day School and the French-American Bilingual School. When she was 14, Wells moved to Los Angeles. She later graduated from Beverly Hills High School. She also has a brother.

Acting Career

Claudia Wells started acting in TV shows in the late 1970s. Before that, she appeared in ten operas between the ages of eight and twelve.

Becoming Jennifer Parker

In 1985, Wells played Jennifer Parker in the movie Back to the Future. Jennifer is the girlfriend of the main character, Marty McFly. Wells almost did not get the part in this very popular movie. She had been chosen, but then she had to work on a TV pilot for ABC. This meant she had to leave Back to the Future.

During that time, another actor, Eric Stoltz, was filming as Marty McFly. The movie producers stopped filming and chose Michael J. Fox to play Marty instead. By then, Wells's TV pilot was finished. She was then able to come back and play Jennifer. She filmed all her scenes with Michael J. Fox.

Other Roles and a Break

Also in 1985, Wells was part of "Stop the Madness". This was a music video that spoke out against drugs. Many famous people like musicians and athletes were in it. In 1986, she appeared in a TV movie called Babies Having Babies. She was also in a TV series called Fast Times. This show was based on a movie from 1982.

After Fast Times, Claudia Wells took a long break from acting. She did not appear in any new movies or TV shows until 1996.

Why She Left Acting

Wells decided to stop acting for a while because her mother became very sick with breast cancer. She told the movie studio that she could not return for the two sequels to Back to the Future. Another actress, Elisabeth Shue, took over her role as Jennifer Parker. Sadly, Wells's mother passed away in 1994.

On December 19, 1991, Wells opened her own clothing store. It is called Armani Wells and is located in Studio City, Los Angeles. She still owns and manages this store today.

Wells (far right) in 2014

Returning to the Screen

After many years, Claudia Wells started acting again in 2011. She had a small part in a science-fiction movie called Alien Armageddon.

In the same year, Wells returned to her role as Jennifer Parker. She provided the voice for Jennifer in Back to the Future: The Game. This was 26 years after her last appearance in the movie series. In 2012, Wells shared that her next project would be a horror movie called Room & Board.

Personal Life

When Claudia Wells was 15, she became a born-again Christian. She has said that her faith helped her through her mother's illness and passing. Wells has one son, who was born around 1995.

Film and Television Roles

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Claudia Wells para niños