Minor characters in Back to the Future films

Did You Know?

• David McFly, the eldest child of George and Lorraine, works at Burger King in 1985 before Marty's time travel, but in the altered 1985 he wears a suit as a white-collar worker.
• Doc Brown's dog Copernicus from 1955 was used in many experiments and was eventually replaced by Einstein.

Main characters

Marty McFly, portrayed by Michael J. Fox in the films, is the main protagonist and the son of George and Lorraine McFly. He travels between past and future, encountering ancestors and descendants while helping Doc Brown restore the space-time continuum. Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, is the eccentric inventor of the DeLorean time machine. In 2008, Empire magazine ranked Doc Brown No. 20 among The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. George McFly, portrayed by Crispin Glover in the first film and by Jeffrey Weissman in the sequels, is married to Lorraine and is the father of Marty, Linda, and Dave. He appears as a main character in the first movie but only makes cameos in the later films.

Baines family

Sam Baines, played by George DiCenzo, is the husband of Stella Baines and father of six children, including Lorraine, Milton, Toby, Joey, Sally, and Ellen. He is the father-in-law of George McFly and maternal grandfather of Marty, David, and Linda McFly. Stella Baines, played by Frances Lee McCain, is the wife of Sam and mother of the same six children. Milton Samuel Baines, portrayed by Jason Hervey, is the second child and oldest son, aged 12 in 1955, who wore a coonskin cap inspired by Davy Crockett.

Sally Flora Baines, played by Maia Brewton, was born in 1949 and was present during Marty's 1955 dinner with the family but did not speak. Toby Baines, born in 1951, sat silently at the dinner table on November 5, 1955, after his father hit Marty with a car. Joey Baines, born August 28, 1954, was Marty's favorite uncle in the early 1970s, allowing Marty to do dangerous things while ensuring his safety. Joey spent many years in Folsom Prison and failed to earn parole on October 25, 1985.

Strickland family

Stanford S. Strickland, also known as Gerald Strickland, is the strict principal of Hill Valley High School and the grandson of Chief Marshal James Strickland of 1885. He sternly reprimands students for slacking or liquor consumption, though he himself sneaks alcohol at his desk. His full name is given as Stanford S. Strickland in the book Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History, but the first episode of Back to the Future: The Game states his first name is Gerald.

James Strickland, portrayed by James Tolkan in Back to the Future Part III, is the chief marshal of Hill Valley in 1885 and an ancestor of Stanford. In a deleted scene and the novelization, Strickland is killed by Buford Tannen; the game notes that James was shot and killed by Buford. Edna Strickland, voiced by Rebecca Sweitzer in the game, is the sister of Stanford and granddaughter of James, a reporter and Prohibition campaigner in 1931 who is retired by 1986.

Other characters

Marvin Berry, played by Harry Waters Jr., is an African-American jazz musician and guitarist whose band performed at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance. He is the cousin of Chuck Berry. After injuring his hand, Marty takes his place and performs Johnny B. Goode, after which Marvin immediately calls Chuck to introduce him to the new music style, humorously implying that Chuck stole the song. Otis Peabody, portrayed by Will Hare, is a 1950s farmer who planted pines on his land, later the site of Twin Pines Mall. When Marty crashes into Peabody's shed and flattens a pine sapling, Peabody is committed to an asylum after claiming a space zombie wrecked his barn, and the mall is renamed Lone Pine Mall.