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Thomas F. Wilson
Tom Wilson photo by Josh Alder.jpg
Wilson in July 2011
Born
Thomas Francis Wilson Jr.

(1959-04-15) April 15, 1959 (age 66)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names Tom Wilson
Occupation
Years active 1979–present
Spouse(s)
Caroline Thomas
​
(m. 1985)​
Children 4
YouTube information
Years active 2006–present
Genre Vlog
Subscribers 41 thousand
Total views 8 million

Thomas Francis Wilson Jr. (born April 15, 1959) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is famous for playing the bully characters Biff Tannen, Griff Tannen, and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen in the Back to the Future movies. He also played Coach Ben Fredricks in the TV show Freaks and Geeks. You might also know his voice from the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, where he plays many characters, often villains.

Early Life and School Days

Thomas Francis Wilson Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 15, 1959. He grew up nearby in a town called Wayne. When he was in Radnor High School, he loved acting and was part of the drama club. He was also the president of the debate team. Thomas played the tuba in the school band and was the drum major for the marching band. After high school, he studied international politics at Arizona State University. He also went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City to learn more about acting. In 1979, he started his career as a comedian.

Acting Career Highlights

In 1981, Thomas Wilson moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. He lived with other comedians who were just starting out.

Back to the Future Films

Wilson's most well-known role was playing the bully Biff Tannen in the 1985 movie Back to the Future. He came back for the sequels, Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III. In these movies, he played Biff, Biff's grandson Griff Tannen, and Biff's great-grandfather Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. In each Back to the Future film, his character often ends up in a pile of manure after trying to cause trouble for Michael J. Fox's character, Marty McFly. He also voiced these characters in the animated TV series based on the movies.

Voice Acting and Other Roles

Thomas Wilson has lent his voice to many animated shows. In 1992, he was the voice of gangster Tony Zucco in Batman: The Animated Series. He also voiced police detective Matt Bluestone in Gargoyles. In 1994, he worked with his Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd again in the movie Camp Nowhere.

He also starred in the video game series Wing Commander. He played Major Todd "Maniac" Marshall, a pilot alongside Mark Hamill's character. Wilson continued this role in the sequels and the animated series Wing Commander Academy.

From 1999 to 2000, Wilson played Coach Ben Fredricks in the TV show Freaks and Geeks.

SpongeBob SquarePants

Thomas Wilson is well-known for his voice work on the Nickelodeon show SpongeBob SquarePants. He voices many strong and sometimes villainous characters. These include Flats the Flounder and Reg the Club Bouncer. In 2005, he played Coach Phelps in the TV series Zoey 101.

Comedy and Podcasts

In 2009, Thomas Wilson released his stand-up comedy special called Tom Wilson: Bigger Than You. Because so many people kept asking him questions about the Back to the Future movies, he wrote a funny song called "Biff's Question Song." He often performs this song in his stand-up shows.

He also hosted a podcast called Big Pop Fun from 2011 to 2014. On his podcast, he shared stories from his career and chatted with friends from the entertainment world.

YouTube Channel

Thomas Wilson has his own YouTube channel where he regularly posts videos. As of March 2023, his channel has over 36,100 subscribers.

Personal Life

Thomas Wilson married Caroline Thomas on July 6, 1985. They have four children and live in Los Angeles, California.

Wilson is a Catholic and released a Christian music album in 2000. In his free time, he enjoys painting. Many of his paintings are about classic children's toys. In 2006, he was chosen to be part of the California Featured Artist Series at Disneyland.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Thomas Wilson has been in:

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

  • 1994: Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger as Maj. Todd "Maniac" Marshall
  • 2010: Back to the Future: The Game as Biff Tannen
  • 2022–present: Spidey and His Amazing Friends as Sandman (Voice)

Images for kids

  • Tom Wilson photo by Josh Alder

    Thomas F. Wilson in July 2011

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Thomas F. Wilson para niños

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