'Doc' Emmett L. Brown

"Doc Brown is almost like a magician," says director Robert Zemeckis in describing the character of the eccentric scientist in "Back to the Future" played by Christopher Lloyd. "He and Marty have a sort of Arthur and Merlin relationship and he can always make magic happen."

Christopher Lloyd, an actor whose performing credits include a wide variety of motion picture, television and theatrical roles, has been known to make magic himself.

A two-time Emmy award winner for his role as the spaced-out Reverend Jim on television's "Taxi," Lloyd has captivated both critics and audiences alike with his winning portrayals of quirky, off-beat characters. And Dr. Brown is no exception.

The inventor of a nuclear-powered time machine that has been mounted in a DeLorean sportscar, Dr. Brown befriends a young high school student named Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and accidentally sends him back to 1955.

"This was a difficult film for me," explains Lloyd. "There were a lot of mechanical and technical things happening around us and it was very important for Michael and I to really connect with each other."

Fox adds, "I like to work with people who have energy and Chris is just brilliant. I can look into those big manic bulbs of his and get right on target."

Producer Neil Canton, who worked previously with Lloyd as the producer of "Buckaroo Banzai," says of the actor, "The first time I read this script, I thought of Chris Lloyd for the role of Dr. Brown. Having just worked with him on 'Buckaroo' I knew he could bring the right amount of lunacy to the role."

Born in Stanford, Connecticut, Lloyd was drawn to acting at the age of 14, and only two years later was apprenticing in summer stock. At the age of 19, he moved to New York and began acting classes, most notably at the Neighborhood Playhouse with Sanford Meisner.

In New York, his Broadway productions included "Happy End" opposite Meryl Streep and "Red, White and Maddox." His wide range of off-Broadway performances include the original production of "The Boom Boom Room," "Total Eclipse" and "Kaspar," for which he won a 1973 Drama Desk Award from the Village Voice. He performed with Christopher Walken in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of "Macbeth" and appeared in the Yale Repertory productions of "The Possessed" and "Midsummer Night's Dream," also opposite Meryl Streep.

It was a casting break out of New York City that launched Lloyd's film career, when he won a role in the Academy Award-winning "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." After it finished shooting in Oregon, Lloyd was determined to pursue a film career, and on July 4, 1976 he moved to Los Angeles.

Lloyd continues to move between television and movie roles with the greatest of ease. Among his key motion picture credits are "Goin' South" co-starring Jack Nicholson, "The Postman Always Rings Twice," "The Onion Field," "The Lone Ranger," "To Be or Not To Be," "Mr. Mom," "Buckaroo Banzai," "Star Trek III" and an upcoming release, "Miracles." He is currently in production on a motion picture thriller, "Clue."

In addition to his Emmy Award winning work on "Taxi" Lloyd has appeared in "Cheers" and "Barney Miller," as well as numerous miniseries and movies for television.

Steven Spielberg presents a Robert Zemeckis film "Back to the Future," starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The screenplay is by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, with music by Alan Silvestri. It is produced by Bob Gale and Neil Canton. The executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The director is Robert Zemeckis.

as of June 5, 1985

'Doc' Emmett L. Brown

"He's fantastically romantic," says Mary Steenburgen. Adds Robert Zemeckis, "Although we've always known it to be the case, he proves in this movie that he's much more than just a frenetic, hyperactive character. He is, in fact, a brilliant actor, capable of work that is moving and very touching."

The man to whom both the actress and director are referring is none other than Christopher Lloyd, who in his latest performance as Doctor Emmett Brown, joins the ranks of the great romantic leading men of the silver screen.

The actor himself admits that when he first portrayed Doc Brown in the original "Back to the Future," he didn't envision the unique turn his character would take some five years later. "I guess I didn't think about it any more than Doc did at the time," he says. "Up until this point in his life, Doc has been disengaged and removed from that pursuit. Talking about the 'Enchantment Under the Sea' dance, Doc In the first film, when he and Marty are in the '50s and are refers to it as 'rhythmic, ceremonial ritual.' He's just too busy to consider romance."

Despite the fact that his romance doesn't occur until he arrives in the Old West in "Part III," Lloyd points to a moment in "Part II" where the audience gets a subtle hint of what might be in the offing. "In 'Part II' Doc casually mentions to Marty that he's going to dismantle the time machine and possibly turn his attention to one of the other great unexplained mysteries of life--women. Even though he only mentions it in passing, I think it's a significant moment for him in that he's finally starting to accept the concept of a relationship.

"More than anything, I think Doc realizes that he has nobody to share his sense of incessant curiosity and the thrill of discovery with. He values his relationship with Marty, but he needs something more. He enjoys being able to show Marty the wonders of the universe, but when Doc goes home, there's nobody there. Of course none of it really makes any sense, until he rescues a woman from the runaway buckboard and finds himself looking into Clara's eyes."

When Doc finally meets the woman of his dreams, Lloyd had to add a previously unexplored dimension to his character. "As he pulls her from the buckboard and into his saddle," says Lloyd, "in one sense, everything comes into focus for the Doc. But at the same time, he loses sight of some very important concerns. In the first two films, it is the Doc who makes the rules and sets the boundaries of the space-time continuum. When he falls in love, he ignores those rules more than Marty ever did."

Steven Spielberg Presents A Robert Zemeckis Film. "Back to the Future Part III." Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. Music by Alan Silvestri. Edited by Arthur Schmidt, Harry Keramidas. Production Design by Rick Carter. Director of Photography, Dean Cundy, A.S.C. Executive Producers, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy. Story by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale. Screenplay by Bob Gale. Produced by Bob Gale and Neil Canton. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. A Universal Picture.

as of April 24, 1990