Crispin Glover
American actor
- Born April 20, 1964
- 7 movies
Crispin Glover, born on 20 April 1964 in New York City, is an American actor, filmmaker, author and artist, and the son of the actor Bruce Glover. His breakout came as the nervous, put-upon George McFly in Back to the Future, and he has spent the decades since in deliberately strange character roles: the silent Thin Man in Charlie's Angels, the monster Grendel in Beowulf, and the sinister Mr. World in Starz's American Gods. He also makes his own art films, which he tours in person.
Crispin Glover appears in 7 films in The Rerun, from 1984 to 2007. Most of that work is in comedy, adventure and drama. Frequent collaborators in The Rerun: Robert Zemeckis (4), Christopher Lloyd (3), Lea Thompson (3), Thomas F. Wilson (3), Michael J. Fox (3).
Known for
- Back to the Future (1985), George McFly. His breakout role, as Marty’s father.
- What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).
- Charlie’s Angels (2000), The Thin Man. Began starring in more mainstream films with this role.
- American Gods (2017), Mr. World. Starred in the Starz series from 2017 to 2021.
- Beowulf (2007).
Career
After Back to the Future (1985), Glover played Layne, the jittery ringleader, in River’s Edge (1986), and Cousin Dell in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990). He did not return for the Back to the Future sequels; when Part II reused his likeness without permission, he sued, and the case was settled out of court. He was Bobby McBurney, the undertaker’s apprentice, in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).
The 2000s brought a run of studio oddities: the Thin Man in Charlie’s Angels (2000) and its 2003 sequel, the title role in Willard (2003), Grendel in Robert Zemeckis’s performance-capture Beowulf (2007), speaking Old English, and the Knave of Hearts in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010). He directed What Is It? (2005) and It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine. (2007), and played Mr. World, his first series-regular television role, in American Gods (2017 to 2021).
Where to start
- Back to the Future (1985): the performance that made his name, and the film’s comic engine.
- What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993): a small, deadpan part in a gentle small-town drama.
- Beowulf (2007): Glover unrecognizable as Grendel, and the most unsettling thing in it.
- River’s Edge (1986): the best of his 1980s work outside the DeLorean.
Movies
Quick answers
- What movies and TV shows has Crispin Glover been in?
- Crispin Glover appears in Beowulf (2007), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985) and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) on The Remote.
- When was Crispin Glover born?
- Crispin Glover was born on 20 April 1964.
Before you go