Marty McFly

Marty McFly
Back to the Future character
Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly
First appearanceBack to the Future (1985)
Created byRobert Zemeckis
Bob Gale
Portrayed byMichael J. Fox
Voiced by
In-universe information
OccupationHigh school student
FamilyGeorge McFly (father)
Lorraine Baines-McFly (mother)
Dave McFly (brother)
Linda McFly (sister)
SpouseJennifer Parker
ChildrenMarty McFly Jr. and Marlene McFly
HomeHill Valley, California
NationalityIrish American
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • Electric guitar
Associated acts
  • The Pinheads
  • Marvin Berry and the Starlighters
Pseudonyms
Time travel
Original time1985
Years visited1885, 1955, 1985 (alternate timeline), 2015

Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California, who accidentally becomes a time traveler and alters history after his scientist friend Emmett Brown invents a DeLorean time machine. He was created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. In the film trilogy, he is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox. Back to the Future established Fox as a film star, such was the commercial success and popularity of the film upon its release in 1985. Marty returned in two film sequels, Back to the Future Part II in 1989 and Back to the Future Part III in 1990.

During the development of Back to the Future, Eric Stoltz was initially cast in the role, but was replaced by Fox. Various other actors have portrayed or voiced the character in other media. In the animated series, David Kaufman voices him, and in the video game developed and published by Telltale Games, he is voiced by A.J. LoCascio, while Fox makes vocal cameos as his future counterparts. Olly Dobson played him in the original stage musical adaptation in the West End and Casey Likes plays him in the Broadway production.

Critics have described Marty as a film character that defined the 1980s. He was named one of the greatest movie characters of all time by Empire. Critics have also described him as a pop culture icon. Since the release of Back to the Future, he has been influential in other media, often being referenced in television and film.