The Bearded Trio

Memo For Doc Brown Role Shows 40 Potential Actors It is well known that Michael J. Fox was the first choice to play Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies, even though initially the role was given to Eric Stoltz because Fox was committed to the filming of the TV show, Family Ties.  But the role of Doc Brown or "the scientist" as the role was known in the early stages was less defined.  The creative team did not have a candidate in mind so casting director, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg and Judy Taylor produced a memo with a list of forty names.  It's quite interesting to see names on the list that would make you wonder how they would have interpreted Doc Brown. Names such as John Cleese, Gene Hackman, Gene Wilder and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Rene Auberjonois who played the shape-shifting Odo in the hit TV series were all on the list, some with lines through their name.  One can only assume these were dismissed at an early stage while those with ticks sho...