Tom Wilson

By Ken Hall

Tom Wilson has enjoyed a successful career as an actor, writer and comedian for over 20 years. But he made the leap to pop icon with his unforgettable role of "Biff" Tannen, the incorrigible bully who antagonized Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in the smash 1985 film "Back to the Future." Wilson reprised the role in two sequel films.

In real life, Wilson is a soft-spoken gentleman. In fact, he drew upon his own personal experiences of being bullied as a child to create the "Biff" persona on film. As an icon himself, perhaps it's fitting that Wilson is a painter of icons - pop icons. His whimsical, dreamy images of childhood staples like the Rock 'em Sock 'em robots, a 3-D Viewmaster, "Wooly Willy" and a simple balsa wood plane have been shown in galleries in Toronto, Los Angeles and Marina del Rey, Calif.

"Through my paintings, I embrace and examine the joy of memory, and the curious thrill of pop recognition," Wilson said from his home in Los Angeles, which he shares with his wife, Caroline, and their four children, Anna May, Emily, Gracie and Tommy.

"We loved the toys we played with ­ or longed for ­ just as we love the movies we've seen ­ some of them more for the memory of a time and place than the films themselves."

Our pasts are sacred to us, Wilson continued, "and whether our early years bring easy smiles or the distant rumble of thunder long past, there is an undeniable magic that surrounds pieces of clean, colorful plastic. These toys were made for us by giant corporations that told us, 'Buy this, hold it in your hands, and all will be well.' Somehow, we believed them. And sometimes we still do."

Wilson's work can be viewed (and purchased) on his website, BigPopFun.com. Original oil works on linen, canvas and paper generally cost from $1,000 to $5,000, while 11" x 14" giclees (signed, numbered and matted) range from $100 to $500 each. Signed open-edition posters are also available on the site.

Tom Wilson grew up in Philadelphia, Pa., the oldest of five children. He was heavily involved in dramatic arts at Radnor High School and served as president of the debate team. He also played the tuba in the high school band; to this day he uses that very tuba in his comedy routine. After high school, he briefly studied international politics at Arizona State University before transferring to UCLA to pursue his passions, fine art and photography.

Wilson followed a progressive path from photography - which he still loves and practices - to mixed media works, until he finally found a home in color and canvas. He studied drawing and painting at the Art Academy of Los Angeles, as well as the California Art Institute. This was followed by extensive study in painting with the noted abstract painter Rene Amitai, as well as the renowned California impressionist Arthur Bjorn Egeli.

In May of this year, Wilson became the only actor to host a solo exhibition of his artwork at Nickelodeon Studios. His link to the cable channel is rooted in the popular show "Spongebob SquarePants," for which Wilson contributes numerous voice-overs: as "Flats" the flounder; "Reg" the "Tattletale Strangler"; and "Victor." Wilson also sang on the soundtrack for "The Spongebob SquarePants Movie" (2004).

Wilson's professional stage career was launched at age 19, when he appeared in Shakespeare Festival productions of "Richard III" and "Henry IV, Part I." It was during one of these plays that he began dabbling in improvisational humor and stand-up comedy with other cast members. He returned to Philadelphia and, on a whim, began performing stand-up comedy at "open-mike" nights in the area.

After polishing his act locally, Wilson went on the road, performing at some of the hottest venues of the day, like Catch a Rising Star, The Improv and The Comedy Store. He shared apartments with fellow up-and-comers Andrew "Dice" Clay, Jim Carrey and Yakov Smirnoff. His first TV commercial was for Kentucky Fried Chicken, in which he played a construction worker.

In the early '80s, Wilson moved to Los Angeles and appeared in TV shows like "Knight Rider" and "The Facts of Life." His big break came when he was cast as "Biff" Tannen (and later "Griff" and "Mad Dog" Tannen in the sequels) in "Back to the Future." The original was one of the biggest box office movies of all time and remains enormously popular today. It has been immortalized as a ride at DisneyWorld in Orlando (Wilson contributed his voice to that project, too).

Since the BTTF trilogy of the late '80s, Wilson has enjoyed parts in a long list of movies and TV shows. On television, he's had recurring roles on "Freaks and Geeks," "Ed," "Do Over," "Titus," "Maggie" and "Fired Up." He's also been a guest star on "Boston Public," "Zoey 101," "Rodney," "Bob Patterson," "Reba" and "The George Lopez Show." His movie credits include "Andersonville," "Bound By Honor," "April Fool's Day," "Let's Get Harry," "Action Jackson" and "High Strung."

Wilson recently completed filming the upcoming movie "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector," in which he plays Bart Tatlock, Larry the Cable Guy's boss. The film will be released next spring by Paramount. He is also in the recording studio, working on a new comedy CD.

Fans of Tom Wilson may visit the star and view more of his artwork at www.BigPopFun.com.

Veteran actor Tom Wilson is a painter of pop icons ­
dreamy, whimsical images from his youth.

"Blue Knockout"

Wilson as "Biff Tannen," Marty McFly's nemesis in "Back to the Future."

"Cherry Popsicle"

Wilson is the first actor to ever host a solo exhibition of his artwork at Nickelodeon Studios. He does numerous voice-overs for the popular cartoon show, "Spongebob SquarePants."