Animated Character Database
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Clifford "Cliff" Tannen was a brother to Biff Tannen, along with Riff Tannen, in an alternate 1986. He was part of the notorious Tannen family mob, the fifth largest in California.

Cliff was the second oldest of the Tannen Brothers. In this alternate reality, their father Irving "Kid" Tannen never went to prison, allowing him and the Tannen family to reign supreme as a criminal syndicate for over fifty years in Hill Valley.

Behind the scenes[]

There was no mention of Biff's family, except for Gertrude Tannen and Griff Tannen, in the films. However, Back to the Future: Biff to the Future 1, co-written by Back to the Future co-creator Bob Gale, has Gertrude angrily state to Biff he is her only grandson. This could mean several things: Cliff and Riff are the result of Kid Tannen not going to jail, and didn't exist in the timelines where he was imprisoned, Cliff and Riff died in the regular timeline, or the two never found out about their father and Gertrude is not aware of Kid's other children.

No real information about Cliff's personality are expressed, save for the Tannen family disposition towards meanness. He couldn't have been born any earlier than 1938, even if he was conceived directly after Biff's birth.

Cliff Tannen was voiced by Andrew Chaikin.

Appearances[]

  • Back to the Future: The Game
    • Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 2: Get Tannen!
  • Back to the Future (IDW Publishing)
    • Back to the Future: Citizen Brown - Issue 2: "Get Tannen!"
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