Glover rode into the public consciousness as Michael J. Fox’s father in Back to the Future, successfully playing the character as both a defeated middle-aged man and a goofy teen. It was his scary/hilarious role in River’s Edge, however, that led many to point to Glover as a possible Gen X successor to the DeNirokind of actor who disappeared into roles. The movie that should have made him a star was, however, his last true mainstream starring role.
Glover has had a strange career since he nearly became a star. In addition to a series of supporting or even cameo roles in famous films, he’s also recorded avant-garde albums, written avant-garde books and made avant-garde appearances as himself on talk shows. Glover is a latter-day Andy Kaufman, consistently pushing the himself, his audience and the envelope as he appears to be far more content to interest himself than to fulfill any expectations placed upon him.
