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J.J.Cohen
Skinhead
Biographical information
Date of birthDecember 3, 1937
Age (1955)17/18
Age (1985)47/48
Age (2015)77/78
Physical description
GenderMale
Hair color(1955) Brown,
(1985A) Gray
Eye colorUnknown
Behind-the-scenes information
Played byJ.J. Cohen
Voiced byn/a
  [Source]
"Hey, Biff. Get a load of this guy's life preserver. Dork thinks he's gonna drown!"
—Skinhead commenting on Marty's down vest.

Skinhead was one of three high school boys who made up Biff Tannen's gang in 1955. He got his nickname from a distinctive character trait; "Skinhead" had very short, close-cropped hair.

Biography[]

In 1955, Skinhead was part of Biff's gang with 3-D and Match. He appears at Lou's Cafe when Biff bullies George to known if he had done his homework for him. When Biff noticed that Marty McFly (who had accidentally traveled back to 1955 in Dr. Emmett Brown's DeLorean Time Machine while trying to escape from the Libyan terrorists) was looking at him, Skinhead made a sarcastic comment about Marty's vest, believing it to be a life preserver, causing laughs from Biff, his gang, and even George. Skinhead later appeared when Marty escaped the cafe after knocking out Biff (knocking down his friends along the way). He, Biff and the rest of his gang chased Marty in Biff's car. However, Biff crashed his car into a manure truck, resulting in the car being covered in manure, just like Biff and his gang.

Skinhead was at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance along with Biff and his gang,and he, 3-D and Match took Marty away and locked him in a car trunk. However, they were discovered by the car's owner (Marvin Berry and his band, the Starlighters). After 3-D and Skinhead offended the group with racist slurs, the gang chased away the three boys, who ended up running away.

Along with Match and 3-D, the adult Skinhead served as one of Biff's bodyguards at Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel in the ABC timeline 1985A. He still had his crewcut, though his hair was now gray rather than brown. They then chased Marty through the hotel after he confronted Biff about the Grays Sports Almanac, though Marty managed to lose them on a fire escape.

It is possible that Skinhead was still living in Hill Valley in 1985 (however, it is unclear as to whether this was still the case in 2015), as one of the boys in Needles' gang looked like Skinhead, and quite possibly could have been his son.

Behind the scenes[]

  • He was never referred to by his real name or his nickname. However, Biff briefly refers to Skinhead as "Joey" while outside of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. His nickname is only given in the films' novelizations, screenplays and credits.
  • Skinhead was portrayed by J.J. Cohen in Back to the Future (billed as Jeffrey Jay Cohen), and Back to the Future Part II (billed as J.J. Cohen).
  • Cohen also played the role of one of the boys in Needles' gang in 1985, although with long hair instead of a crewcut. It could be implied that this boy is Skinhead's son, or some younger relative.

Appearances[]


Individuals
The McFly Family
Marty McFly | George McFly | Lorraine Baines McFly | Jennifer Parker | Seamus McFly | Maggie McFly
Dave McFly | Linda McFly | Martin McFly, Jr. | Marlene McFly | Arthur McFly
The Brown Family
Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown | Clara Clayton Brown | Jules Brown | Verne Brown | Einstein
The Tannen Family
Biff Tannen | Buford Tannen | Griff Tannen | Irving "Kid" Tannen
The Strickland Family
James Strickland | Roger Strickland | Irene Strickland | Edna Strickland | Gerald Strickland
Other Individuals
Match, Skinhead & 3-D | Goldie Wilson | Douglas J. Needles | Marcus Irving
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