Bob Gale
The co-creator of 'Back to the Future' who helped build one of cinema's most beloved and perfectly constructed time-travel sagas.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American writer and filmmaker·Birthday: May 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Gale's career is inextricably linked to a DeLorean hitting 88 miles per hour. Teaming with his University of Southern California friend Robert Zemeckis, Gale co-wrote the script for 'Back to the Future' after pondering what his own father was like as a teenager. The film's success—a result of their stubborn refusal to recast the lead role—catapulted him into Hollywood history. He served as a producer on the sequels and became the franchise's dedicated guardian, ensuring its legacy remained untarnished by unnecessary reboots. Beyond Hill Valley, Gale has worked in comics and other film projects, but his cultural footprint is defined by that one perfect storm of 1950s nostalgia, skateboards, and flux capacitors. He represents the writer as world-builder, meticulously crafting rules for time travel that audiences happily accepted.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote the screenplay for 'Back to the Future,' which won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
- Served as a producer on all three 'Back to the Future' films and the animated series.
- Co-wrote the film '1941' with Robert Zemeckis, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Did You Know?
The initial inspiration for 'Back to the Future' came from him finding his father's high school yearbook.
He voiced the 'Toon Patrol' member Greasy in the film 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit.'
He is an avid collector of comic books and original comic art.
“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.”
