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Christopher Allen Lloyd[1] (born October 22, 1938)[1] is an American actor. He has appeared in theater productions, films, and television since 1961, and is best known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990) and Jim Ignatowski in the comedy series Taxi (1978–1983), winning two Emmy Awards for the latter.

Lloyd came to public attention in Northeastern theater productions during the 1960s and early 1970s, earning Drama Desk and Obie awards for his work, and making his cinematic debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Lloyd also starred as Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Professor Plum in Clue (1985), Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel Addams Family Values (1993).

Lloyd earned a third Emmy for his 1992 guest appearance in Road to Avonlea, and won an Independent Spirit Award for his performance in Twenty Bucks (1993). He has done extensive voice work, including Merlock in DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Grigori Rasputin in Anastasia (1997), the Woodsman in the Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall (2014), and the Hacker in PBS Kids series Cyberchase (2002–present), which earned him two further Emmy nominations. Lloyd has also been nominated for two Saturn Awards and a BIFA Award.

Early life[edit]

Lloyd was born on October 22, 1938, in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Lloyd (née Lapham; 1896–1984), a singer and sister of San Francisco mayor Roger Lapham,[1][2] and her lawyer husband Samuel R. Lloyd Jr. He is the youngest of three boys and four girls, one of whom, Samuel Lloyd, was an actor in the 1950s and 1960s.[3] Lloyd's maternal grandfather, Lewis Henry Lapham, was one of the founders of the Texaco oil company,[4] and Lloyd is also a descendant of Mayflower passengers, including John Howland.[5] Lloyd was raised in Westport, Connecticut, where he attended Staples High School and was involved in founding the high school's theatre company, Staples Players.[6]

Career[edit]

Lloyd as a high school senior, 1958

Lloyd began his career apprenticing at summer theaters in Mount Kisco, New York, and Hyannis, Massachusetts.[7] He took acting classes in New York City at age 19—some at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre with Sanford Meisner[3]—and he recalled making his New York theater debut in a 1961 production of Fernando Arrabal's play And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers, saying, "I was a replacement and it was my first sort of job in New York."[3] He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived Red, White and Maddox (1969), and went on to Off-Broadway roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Kaspar (February 1973),[8] The Harlot and the Hunted, The Seagull (January 1974),[9] Total Eclipse (February 1974),[10] Macbeth, In the Boom Boom Room, Cracks, Professional Resident Company, What Every Woman Knows, The Father, King Lear, Power Failure and, in mid-1972, appeared in a Jean Cocteau double bill, Orphee and The Human Voice, at the Jean Cocteau Theater at 43 Bond Street.[11]

Lloyd returned to Broadway for the musical Happy End.[3] He performed in Andrzej Wajda's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Possessed at Yale Repertory Theater,[12] and in Jay Broad's premiere of White Pelican at the P.A.F. Playhouse in Huntington Station, New York, on Long Island.[13]

In 1977, he said of his training at the Neighborhood Playhouse under Meisner, "My work up to then had been very uneven. I would be good one night, dull the next. Meisner made me aware of how to be consistent in using the best that I have to offer. But I guess nobody can teach you the knack, or whatever it is, that helps you come to life on stage."[14]

His first film role was as a psychiatric patient in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), alongside future co-star Danny DeVito.[15] He is known for his work as "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski, the ex-hippie cabbie on the sitcom Taxi, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series;[16] and the eccentric inventor Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award. In 1985, he appeared in the pilot episode of Street Hawk. The following year, he played the reviled Professor B.O. Beanes on the television series Amazing Stories. Other roles include Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) (on suggestion of fellow actor and friend Leonard Nimoy), Professor Plum in Clue (1985), Professor Dimple in an episode of Road to Avonlea (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series),[16] the villain Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Merlock in DuckTales the Movie (1990), Switchblade Sam in Dennis the Menace (1993), Zoltan in Radioland Murders (1994), and Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). Lloyd portrayed the star character in the adventure game Toonstruck, released in November 1996. In 1999, he was reunited onscreen with Michael J. Fox in an episode of Spin City entitled "Back to the Future IV — Judgment Day", in which Lloyd plays Owen Kingston, the former mentor of Fox's character, Mike Flaherty, who stopped by City Hall to see Kingston, only to proclaim himself God. That same year, Lloyd starred in the film remake of the 1960s series My Favorite Martian. He starred on the television series Deadly Games in the mid-1990s and was a regular on the sitcom Stacked in the mid-2000s. In 2003, he guest-starred in three of the 13 produced episodes of Tremors: The Series as the character Cletus Poffenburger. In November 2007, Lloyd was reunited onscreen with his former Taxi co-star Judd Hirsch in the season-four episode "Graphic" of the television series Numb3rs as Ross Moore. He then played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a 2008 production of A Christmas Carol at the Kodak Theatre with John Goodman and Jane Leeves.[17] In 2009, he appeared in a comedic trailer for a faux horror film version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory entitled Gobstopper, in which he played Willy Wonka as a horror-film-style villain.[18]

In mid-2010, he starred as Willy Loman in a Weston Playhouse production of Death of a Salesman.[19] That September, he reprised his role as Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in Back to the Future: The Game, an episodic adventure game series developed by Telltale Games.[20] That same month, the production company 3D Entertainment Films announced Lloyd would star as an eccentric professor who with his lab assistant explore the various dimensions in Time, the Fourth Dimension, an approximately 45-minute Imax 3D film that was planned for release in 2012.[21][22]

On January 21, 2011, he appeared in "The Firefly" episode of the J. J. Abrams television series Fringe as Roscoe Joyce.[23] That August, he reprised the role of Dr. Emmett Brown (from Back to the Future) as part of an advertising campaign for Garbarino,[24] an Argentine appliance company, and also as part of Nike's "Back For the Future" campaign for the benefit of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. In 2012 and 2013, Lloyd reprised the role of Brown in two episodes of the stopmotion series Robot Chicken. He was a guest star on the 100th episode of the USA Network sitcom Psych as Martin Khan in 2013.

In May 2013, Lloyd appeared as the narrator and the character Azdak in the Bertolt Brecht play The Caucasian Chalk Circle, produced by the Classic Stage Company in New York.[25]

On the October 21, 2015, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Lloyd and Michael J. Fox appeared in a Back to the Future skit to commemorate the date in the second installment of the film trilogy.[26]

In May 2018, Lloyd made a cameo appearance in the episode titled "No Country For Old Women" of Roseanne, where he played the role of Lou, the boyfriend to the mother of Roseanne and Jackie. In late 2019, he provided the voice of Master Xehanort in the "Re Mind" downloadable content of Kingdom Hearts III, taking over the role from the late Leonard Nimoy and Rutger Hauer, and reprised the role in the 2020 video game Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

Upcoming projects[edit]

By July 2020, Lloyd was cast in Man & Witch, a family-friendly fantasy-adventure film directed by Rob Margolies, with Jim Henson's Creature Shop set to create the puppets for the film.[27]

Personal life[edit]

Lloyd first was married to Catharine Dallas Dixon Boyd, on June 6, 1959.[7] The couple divorced in 1971 after 12 years of marriage.[28] He married actress Kay Tornborg in 1974, divorcing her circa 1987.[29] Lloyd's third marriage, to Carol Ann Vanek, had lasted more than two years when they were in the process of divorcing in July 1991.[30] His fourth marriage, to screenwriter Jane Walker Wood, lasted from 1992 to 2005.[1][28]In 2016, Lloyd married Lisa Loiacono.[31] Loiacono was Lloyd's real-estate agent when he put his house in Montecito, California, up for sale in 2012.[32] Lloyd's former house on that lot was destroyed in the Tea Fire of November 2008.[32][33]

Lloyd's philanthropist mother, Ruth Lapham Lloyd, died in 1984 at age 88. Her surviving children at the time, aside from Christopher, were Donald L. Mygatt, Antoinette L. Mygatt Lucas, Samuel Lloyd III, Ruth Lloyd Scott Ax and Adele L. Kinney.[34] Lloyd's nephew, Sam Lloyd (1963–2020), was best known for playing lawyer Ted Buckland on Scrubs.

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Television[edit]

Video games[edit]

Music videos[edit]

Theme park attractions[edit]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Christopher Lloyd Biography: Actor (1938–)". Biography.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  2. ^ Croft, Amy, ed. (Spring 2013). "A guide to the Roger D. Lapham photograph collection, 1892–1956". San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park via Online Archive of California. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Lovece, Frank (December 2, 1991). "Christopher Lloyd Is as Mysterious as Character". United Media via The Daily News (Bowling Green, Kentucky).
  4. ^ "Lewis H. Lapham, Financier, 76, Dies; Retired Leather Merchant Was a Founder of Texas Corporation, an Oil Concern". The New York Times. June 11, 1934. Retrieved February 28, 2020. The near relatives who survive [include] ... two daughters, Mrs. Elinor Ford of Washington, D.C.., and Mrs. Samuel Lloyd of Stamford, Conn., and two sons [including] Roger D. Lapham of San Francisco, president of the American Hawaiian Steamship Company....
  5. ^ "Meet John Howland, a lucky Pilgrim who populated America". The Japan Times. November 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  6. ^ "Christopher Lloyd". 06880. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  7. ^ a b "Catharine Boyd Attended by Six At Her Marriage". The New York Times. June 7, 1959. Retrieved October 22, 2013. full article via subscription or fee.
  8. ^ Barnes, Clive (February 16, 1973). "Theater: Handke's 'Kaspar' Is Staged in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2020. Abstract. Full article via subscription or fee.
  9. ^ Barnes, Clive (January 24, 1974). "Theater: Good 'Seagull'; Chekhov Play Staged by the Roundabout". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2013. Abstract. Full article via subscription or fee.
  10. ^ Barnes, Clive (February 25, 1974). "Stage: 'Total Eclipse' by the Chelsea". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2020. Abstract. Full article via subscription or fee.
  11. ^ Gilbert, Ruth, ed. (August 14, 1972). "In and Around Town: Theater > Off and Off-Off Broadway > Current". New York. p. 13.
  12. ^ Gussow, Mel (October 12, 1974). "Stage: 'The Possessed,' Clear Vision of Torment". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2013. Full article via subscription or fee.
  13. ^ Delatiner, Barbara (April 25, 1976). "New Lines, Old Trouper". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2013. Abstract. Full article via subscription or fee.
  14. ^ Berkvist, Rober (June 24, 1977). "New Face: Christopher Lloyd; A Real 'Happy End'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2020. Full article via subscription or fee.
  15. ^ Harris, Will (October 12, 2012). "Christopher Lloyd on playing a vampire, a taxi driver, a toon, and more". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d "Emmys > Christopher Lloyd: Awards & Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  17. ^ Morgan, Terry (December 29, 2008). "Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Cast & Crew". GobstopperMovie.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  19. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (August 25, 2010). "Christopher Lloyd stars in 'Death of a Salesman'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  20. ^ Snider, Mike (September 1, 2010). "Telltale Games times 'Back to the Future' project". USA Today. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  21. ^ "Christopher Lloyd is Back in 'Time, the Fourth Dimension', a New IMAX Theatre Film" (Press release). 3D Entertainment Films. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2020 – via PR Newswire.
  22. ^ McNary, Dave (September 24, 2010). "Christopher Lloyd goes back in 'Time'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  23. ^ Tucker, Ken (January 21, 2011). "The return of 'Fringe' recap: 'The Firefly' glowed with love, loss, and Christopher Lloyd". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  24. ^ "Campaña publicitaria del Doc Emmet Brown es un éxito en YouTube" [Advertising campaign with "Doc" Emmett Brown is a hit on YouTube]. La Gaceta. Tucumán, Argentina. September 8, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  25. ^ Isherwood, Charles (May 30, 2013). "A Little Groucho Marx, a Little King Solomon". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "Marty McFly & Doc Brown Visit Jimmy Kimmel Live". Facebook. October 21, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  27. ^ "'NeverEnding Story' Queen Tami Stronach to Star in Fantasy Film With Sean Astin, Christopher Lloyd (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  28. ^ a b "Ex-wife sues actor Lloyd for unpaid alimony". Associated Press. September 25, 2002. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Catherine Boyd Lloyd of Manhattan says ... related to their 1971 divorce after 12 years of marriage. Lloyd ... is now married to screenwriter Jane Walker Wood.
  29. ^ Hillier, Bevin (March 22, 1987). "Always on Sunday: The Making of a Flea-Market Fanatic". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. In 1974 she married actor Christopher Lloyd.... (They are now in the process of getting a divorce.)
  30. ^ Podolsky, J. D. (July 8, 1991). "Passages". People. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Actor Christopher Lloyd ... and his wife, homemaker Carol Ann Vanek Lloyd, are divorcing after more than two years of marriage...
  31. ^ https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/back-to-the-future-cast-where-are-they-now/lea-thompson-lorraine-baines/
  32. ^ a b Beale, Lauren (March 23, 2012). "Actor Christopher Lloyd lists Montecito home at $6.45 million". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  33. ^ "Stars' Homes Destroyed & Threatened By Montecito Fire". Access Hollywood. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  34. ^ "Ruth Lapham Lloyd, 88, Dies; Aided Metropolitan Museum". The New York Times. October 12, 1984. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  35. ^ Paul, Louis (2014). Tales from the Cult Film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 27. ISBN 9780786484027.
  36. ^ Vonler, Veva (2005). The Movie Lover's Tour of Texas: Reel-life Rambles Through the Lone Star State. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1589792425.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Christopher Lloyd > Complete Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  38. ^ Stratton, David (April 5, 1999). "Convergence". Variety. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  39. ^ Oxman, Steven (June 27, 2001). "On the Edge". Variety. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  40. ^ "East Coast Premiere: Admissions". Woodstock Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  41. ^ "The Chateau Meroux". RadioTimes. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  42. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (January 17, 2013). "'Cadaver' Alive and Kicking". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  43. ^ Marelli, Stéphane (director), Christopher Lloyd, Carmen Electra, Keenan Cahill, Eric Judor (2012). Axe Boat 2012. Keenan Cahill. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  44. ^ Montgomery, Grace. "Freedom Force". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  45. ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie (December 5, 2014). "The One I Wrote for You". The Austin Chronicle. Texas. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  46. ^ James, Caryn (October 18, 2018). "'ReRun': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  47. ^ Perry, Joseph (June 27, 2020). "[Review] The Haunted Swordsman (Portland Horror Film Festival): Supernatural Stop-Motion Masterpiece Sees A Samurai Make A Perilous Quest". Gruesome Magazine. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020.
  48. ^ McNary, Dave (April 11, 2017). "Christopher Lloyd Joins William Shatner in Comedy 'Senior Moment' (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  49. ^ Pena, Xochitl (October 23, 2017). "William Shatner movie 'Senior Moment' shot in Palm Springs could be a hit, says producer. It just needs to be edited". Palm Springs Desert Sun. California. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  50. ^ "Tankhouse". Film Independent. n.d. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  51. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (December 16, 2019). "Christopher Lloyd, Richard Kind Star In 'Tankhouse'; Sydney Sweeney, Finlay MacMillan Topline 'The Prince of Soho'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020. Production is currently underway with plans to film in both Fargo and Los Angeles.
  52. ^ Vatnsdal, Emma (September 12, 2019). "Feature film begins shooting in Fargo next week". Grand Forks, North Dakota. Forum News Service. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019 – via Grand Forks Herald.
  53. ^ "Stunt Seven". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  54. ^ "The Fantastic Seven (1979)". British Film Institute. Retrieved July 26, 2020. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  55. ^ A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon Page 300
  56. ^ CoinOpTV (September 16, 2015). "Lego Dimensions Voice Actors Interviews". YouTube. Lego Dimensions features the voice talents of Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Michael J. Fox, Gary Oldman, Irrfan Khan, Charlie Day, Ellen McLain, Stephen Merchant, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez, Troy Baker, Tom Kane, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, Tara Strong and More!
  57. ^ Traveller's Tales. Lego Dimensions. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Scene: Closing credits, 4:45 in, Voiceover Talent.
  58. ^ The Odd Gentlemen. King's Quest - Chapter III: Once Upon A Climb. Sierra Entertainment. Scene: Closing credits, 1 min in, Cast.
  59. ^ "'The Not 1 Baltimore' Shares Obie Award With 'River Niger'". The New York Times. May 23, 1973. Retrieved February 28, 2020. Full article via subscription or fee.
  60. ^ "31 Years of Nominees and Winners — Film" (PDF). Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  61. ^ "RAZZIES Nominations". Razzies.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  62. ^ "Nominations". British Independent Film Awards. October 24, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.

Further reading[edit]

  • Napoleon, Davi (1991). Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater. Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-1713-7. Includes discussion of Lloyd's early work Off-Broadway, including the production of Happy End at the Chelsea Theater Center, and on Broadway, Kaspar and Total Eclipse.

External links[edit]

  • Christopher Lloyd at IMDb 
  • Christopher Lloyd at the Internet Broadway Database
  • Christopher Lloyd at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
  • Christopher Lloyd at AllMovie