Nearly 40 years later, there are still bits of Back to the Future that are easy to miss, including a sitcom star’s cameo in its opening minutes. Back to the Future’s cast is rounded out by some iconic stars, from Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to Billy Zane, Crispin Glover, and more. However, there are also some well-known actors from the era that might not be as recognizable to modern audiences, including Deborah Harmon, star of the 1980s sitcom Just the Ten of Us.
Back to the Future is regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis bringing a fun, comedic approach to the genre. Decades after its release, Back to the Future still holds up well due to the simple plot, outstanding performances from its stars, and easy-to-love aesthetic. Even the small roles in a movie like this are worth noting, and this one has some fun trivia behind it.
Deborah Harmon Starred In The Late-80s Growing Pains Spinoff
Back to the Future’s opening sequence sees a morning news anchor reporting that the Pacific Nuclear Research Facilitiy had denied the rumors that plutonium had been stolen. Of course, this is confirmed to not be true throughout the film, but the segment importantly sets up the premise. It’s easy to miss, but the uncredited actor who plays the news anchor is Deborah Harmon, the star of Just the Ten of Us, a well-known sitcom in the late ’80s that was a spinoff of the more popular Growing Pains.
Harmon’s appearance in Back to the Future pre-dated her sitcom stardom by three years and was one of the many minor, unnamed roles she took throughout the ’80s. In the same year, she appeared in a minor role on The Twilight Zone. Earlier in the decade, she appeared on two episodes of M*A*S*H. In 1988, she appeared in two episodes of Growing Pains before reprising the role in the spinoff series, which ran until 1990. She continued to appear in famous sitcoms like Malcolm in the Middle for the rest of her career.
Harmon Was Cast Due To Her Working Relationship With Back To The Future’s Director
Harmon Previously Appeared In 1980’s Used Cars
Deborah Harmon likely scored the job in Back to the Future due to her role in a previous, lesser-known Robert Zemeckis movie. In 1980, she played Barbara Fuchs in the Kurt Russell-led movie Used Cars. The film holds up with a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes and got Harmon a small role in Back to the Future, solidifying her career with an important part in one of the best movies of all time.