Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump inspired Biff, Back To The Future creator Bob Gale reveals

It's only a matter of time before we start calling him 'America’s greatest living folk hero'

Jack Shepherd
Friday 23 October 2015 04:14 EDT
Comments
Biff
Biff (Universal/Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Back in the eighties, director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale created an iconic villain for their film Back to the Future series: Biff Tannen.

In the original he bullied Marty McFl, then, in the sequel, he becomes a wealthy, corrupt business man who used his political powers – gained by owning a casino – to take over Hill Valley.

Sound like a certain US presidential candidate? That’s because Donald Trump acted as inspiration for the character, according to creator Bob Gale.

When asked by the Daily Beast whether he noticed the similarities between Biff and Trump, Gale said: “We thought about it when we made the movie! Are you kidding?

“You watch Part II again and there’s a scene where Marty confronts Biff in his office and there’s a huge portrait of Biff on the wall behind Biff, and there’s one moment where Biff kind of stands up and he takes exactly the same pose as the portrait? Yeah.”

At the time of release, Trump was already an infamous property magnate, having just acquired the Taj Mahal Casino the previous year.

Unlike Biff, Trump has yet to demand that people call him “America’s greatest living folk hero.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in