My Take
Okay, I have to be honest: for the longest time Thomas F. Wilson was just "Biff" to me, the perfect bully you loved to hate across the entire Back to the Future trilogy. Playing Biff, his old man Buford, AND grandson Griff is no small feat, and somehow he made each one its own special flavor of jerk. But the more I learned about him, the more I adored the actual guy. He's a sharp stand-up comic and musician who turned decades of being asked "make like a tree and get outta here" into a hilarious bit, even writing a whole song answering every fan question. That self-aware humor is exactly why I think he's secretly one of the coolest people to come out of that franchise. Great sport, genuinely funny man.
Overview
Thomas Francis Wilson Jr. (born April 15, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, podcaster, and YouTuber. He is best known for playing Biff Tannen, Griff Tannen, and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990).
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Thomas F. Wilson
- Name (Japanese)
- トーマス・F・ウィルソン
- Reading
- とーます・F・うぃるそん
- Born
- April 15, 1959 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Boar
- Origin
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / comedian / dub actor / podcaster
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Radnor High School
- University
- Arizona State University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Biff Tannen | — |
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.