| Claudia Wells | |
| Birth Place: | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Occupation: | Actress, businesswoman |
| Years Active: | 1974-1986; 1996-present |
| Known For: | Jennifer Parker in Back to the Future |
| Children: | 1 |
| Website: | www.claudiawells.comwww.armaniwells.com |
Claudia Wells is an American actress and businesswoman, best known for her role as Jennifer Parker in the 1985 film Back to the Future.
Wells was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her family moved to the San Francisco bay area when she was seven weeks old. She went to Marin Country Day School and French-American Bilingual School. As of 2014, some of her family lived in that area,[1] Wells moved to Los Angeles at the age of 14, later graduating from Beverly Hills High School. Wells also has a brother.[2]
She began acting in TV shows in the late 1970’s. When she was 15, she became a born-again Christian at the urging of Dean Jones on the set of Herbie, the Love Bug.[3]
Wells played Jennifer Parker, Marty McFly's girlfriend, in the 1985 film Back to the Future. She almost did not end up in the first film of the successful franchise. According to Wells, she had been cast, but a pilot she had done for ABC had been picked up, and she was contractually forced to drop out of Back to the Future. During that time, Eric Stoltz had been shooting for five weeks in the role of Marty McFly. Melora Hardin was slated for the role of Jennifer though she never actually filmed any scenes. The producers halted filming and replaced Stoltz with Michael J. Fox. By then, Wells's pilot had been finished and she was recast as Jennifer, now shooting alongside Fox, having never filmed a frame with Stoltz.[4]
That same year (1985), Wells co-starred in Stop the Madness, an anti-drug music video sponsored by the Reagan administration, featuring several famous musicians, actors and athletes. The following year, she appeared in the TV movie Babies Having Babies, and the short-lived series Fast Times, a TV adaptation of the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Wells played Linda Barrett, portrayed by Phoebe Cates in the film). Following Fast Times, she did not appear again on-screen until the 1996 independent film, Still Waters Burn (released on DVD February 12, 2008).
After her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Wells put her career on hold for family reasons, and told the studio she would be unavailable to reprise her Back to the Future role for the two sequels.[5] Actress Elisabeth Shue replaced her.
On December 19, 1991, Wells started a clothing store, Armani Wells, which she still manages as of 2024.[6] [7]
After a lengthy absence, Wells returned to acting in 2011 with a small role in the independent science-fiction film, Alien Armageddon.[8]
The same year, Wells reprised her role from Back to the Future, 26 years after her last appearance in the series, provided the voice of Jennifer Parker for .[9] Wells announced that her next project would be a horror film titled Room & Board.[10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Back to the Future | Jennifer Parker | ||
| 2008 | Still Waters Burn | Laura Harper | ||
| 2011 | Alien Armageddon | Eileen Daly | ||
| 2013 | You Are Not Alone | Cristina's Mom | Short film | |
| 2013 | Max | Mom | Short film | |
| 2014 | Captain Savage | |||
| 2015 | EP/Executive Protection | Pam Travis | ||
| 2015 | Back in Time | Herself | Back to the Future documentary[11] | |
| 2015 | Back to the 2015 Future | Jennifer Parker | Short film | |
| 2018 | Groove Street | Julie | ||
| 2018 | System Failure | Mrs Henderson | Short film | |
| 2019 | Vitals | Margaret Parks |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Family | Denise / Barbara Collins | 2 episodes | |
| 1981 | Rise and Shine | Patsy D'Allisandro | 1 episode | |
| 1981 | Strike Force | Patty | Episode: "Magic Man" | |
| 1982 | Herbie, the Love Bug | Julie MacLane | 5 episodes | |
| 1982 | Lovers and Other Strangers | Mary Claire Delvecchio | Television film | |
| 1984 | Fame | Marya | Episode: "Appearances" | |
| 1984 | Anatomy of an Illness | Sarakit | Television film | |
| 1984–1985 | Off the Rack | Shannon Halloran | 7 episodes | |
| 1984–1986 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Lisa / Wendy | 2 episodes | |
| 1985 | Trapper John, M.D. | Candy | Episode: "Long Ago and Far Away" | |
| 1985 | Simon & Simon | Phoebe Glass | Episode: "Slither" | |
| 1985 | Able to Do | |||
| 1986 | Fast Times | Linda Barrett | 7 episodes | |
| 1986 | Brothers | Sarah | Episode: "Joe Leaves This Old World Behind" | |
| 2011 | The Mentalist | Chief Marnie Green | Episode: "Where in the World is Carmine O'Brien?" | |
| 2014 | Zero Impact Home | Future Petal | Short series | |
| 2015 | The Comeback Kids | Herself | Episode: "Re-United and It Feels So Good" |