Glover appeared in several
sitcoms as a
teenager, including
Happy Days and
Family Ties. His first film role was in
1983's My Tutor. That led to roles in
Teachers (
1984) and
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (
1984). The role in Friday the 13th (and his particularly grisly death scene) has given rise to his pseudonym: "The Godfather of Shocktober". He then worked with quirky director
Trent Harris on the third chapter of
the Beaver Trilogy, entitled
The Orkly Kid. In this short film, he portrayed a small town man who organizes a local talent show to showcase his obsession with
Olivia Newton-John, much to the embarrassment of the local community. At the climax of the film, Glover does his rendition, in full
drag (clothing), of
Olivia Newton-John's "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" from her
1979 album
Totally Hot. This would not be the last time Harris and Glover worked together.
His breakout role was as
George McFly in
Robert Zemeckis's Back to the Future. Glover refused to participate in the film's two sequels, reportedly because he wanted more money and his salary demands were not met. Nevertheless, Zemeckis used previously filmed footage and body prosthetics on another actor,
Jeffrey Weissman, to simulate Glover on screen. Glover then sued the producers (including
Steven Spielberg) and won a landmark victory, setting a precedent for how actors' images may be used in films. At the same time, the lawsuit put something of a dark mark on Glover's reputation as an actor.
Back to the Future was an international
box office success following its release in
1985.
He played
Andy Warhol in
Oliver Stone's The Doors in (
1991).
On
July 28, 1987, Glover appeared on
Late Night with David Letterman to promote his new movie
River's Edge and his album. Dressed as his character from the film
Rubin and Ed, he wore a long wig and platform shoes. His bizarre appearance was exceeded only by his strange behavior. After a failed attempt to challenge
Letterman to an
arm-wrestling match, Glover delivered an impromptu
karate kick just inches from Letterman's face while shouting, "I'm strong... I can kick!". A noticeably irked Dave abruptly ended the segment and cut to commercial. Glover has later commented, on
The Adam Carolla Show and
Tom Green Live among others, that he neither denies nor admits any of the rumors surrounding the incident.
He has continued to play exceedingly
eccentric types, e.g. the title characters in
Bartleby (
2001) and
Willard (
2003). He has received some considerable
mainstream attention recently as the "Creepy Thin Man" in the
Charlie's Angels films.
Glover mediates the special feature commentary on the DVD of
Werner Herzog's Even Dwarfs Started Small and
Fata Morgana (film)
When
Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman franchise, Glover was an early fan-based choice for the Joker. An October 16, 2006 article in The New Yorker magazine (
The Anxieties of YouTube Fame, by Ben McGrath) depicts Glover as a predatory Hollywood actor who corrupts the
YouTube starlet Little Loca (played by
Stevie Ryan) into turning one of her signature videos into an advertisement for Glover's latest film project,
What Is It.
Glover will portray the villain
Grendel in
Robert Zemeckis's motion capture film adaptation of the epic poem
Beowulf, which will be released in
U.S. theaters by
Paramount Pictures on
November 21st, 2007.