Crispin Glover
An actor who built a career from the magnetic pull of the strange, turning oddball characters into unforgettable cinematic landmarks.
Born 1964 (age 62)·American actor·Birthday: April 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Crispin Glover emerged from the 1980s not as a conventional leading man, but as a specialist in the unsettling and peculiar. His performance as the meek George McFly in 'Back to the Future' gave him mainstream recognition, but he quickly pivoted toward darker, more challenging material in films like 'River's Edge.' Throughout the 1990s, Glover became a sought-after presence for directors wanting a jolt of unpredictable energy, appearing in David Lynch's 'Wild at Heart' and Jim Jarmusch's 'Dead Man.' Off-screen, he cultivated a parallel life as a avant-garde filmmaker and artist, publishing meticulously altered vintage books and directing surrealist features like 'What Is It?' His entire body of work, on screen and off, functions as a deliberate rejection of Hollywood norms, making him a genuine iconoclast in an industry of conformity.
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.
Crispin was born in 1964, 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 Crispin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Crispin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
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
1969Started school
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
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Portrayed the iconic role of George McFly in the blockbuster film 'Back to the Future' (1985).
- Delivered a critically acclaimed performance as a disaffected teenager in the dark drama 'River's Edge' (1986).
- Directed, wrote, and starred in the experimental film 'What Is It?', which he self-distributed via a unique live touring show.
- Published a series of 'books' that are artistically reworked and altered versions of 19th-century texts.
- Built a sustained career as a character actor with memorable roles in films by directors like David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch.
Did You Know?
He legally changed his middle name to 'Hellion'.
He owns a large collection of medical and psychiatric artifacts from the 19th century.
He performed his own dangerous stunt, falling backward down a flight of stairs, in 'Charlie's Angels'.
He turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as George McFly in the 'Back to the Future' sequels.
“I like to take characters that are essentially written as symbolic and make them specifically human.”
