Christopher Lloyd

30th March 2021

When you think of actor Christopher Lloyd, what’s the first film of his that comes to mind? Is it the “Back to the Future” franchise where he starred as the unforgettable inventor Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown? Perhaps it’s the 1988 live action/animated film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” where he took on the terrifying role as Judge Doom? Maybe it’s not a film at all, but rather the beloved sitcom series “Taxi” where he starred as the oddball New York City cab driver “Reverend” Jim Ignatowski. Christopher Lloyd has performed in a number of iconic roles over the years and at the age of 82 he has no plans to stop anytime soon. Jesse recently spoke with the Hollywood veteran about his remarkable career in acting and why he continues to do it. They also talked about his new film “Senior Moment” where he stars alongside William Shatner and Jean Smart.

Episode notes

Christopher Lloyd on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

(Photo: Mike Coppola / Getty Images)

Christopher Lloyd on his iconic acting career and new film Senior Moment

Throughout his career, Christopher Lloyd has performed in some of the most memorable movies of the 20th century including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and of course, Back to the Future.

He’s been acting since the age of 19, when he began taking classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. There he studied with legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner – the creator of the Meisner Technique. In 1961, he made his New York Theatrical debut in a production of the play, And They Put Handcuffs on Flowers by Fernado Arrabal. 

Lloyd acted mainly on stage before getting his first big movie role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where he starred alongside Jack Nicholson as a patient in a psychiatric hospital. In 1978, he starred in his first major television role as an eccentric cab driver in the sitcom Taxi. He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for the role.

Following his work in Taxi, Lloyd appeared in a number of iconic films throughout the 80s and 90s including Who Framed Roger Rabbit as the sinister Judge Doom, The Addams Family (1991) as Uncle Fester, and the Back to the Future trilogy as the unforgettable “Doc” Brown. He’s also the voice of The Hacker in the PBS Kids series Cyberchase which has been running since 2002. 

Today he is 82 and has no plans to stop working anytime soon. He’s still extremely committed to his craft, and performs on stage regularly and continues acting in movies and TV shows. His latest project is called Senior Moment. It’s a romantic comedy that Lloyd stars in alongside Jean Smart and William Shatner. He’s also in the upcoming action movie Nobody, where he’ll act opposite Bob Odenkirk.

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow
Video Editor

Guests

  • Christopher Lloyd

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.

Get in touch with the show

People

Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Video Editor

How to listen

Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!

Share this show

New? Start here...

Liked Christopher Lloyd? Listen to these next...