Bob Gale

Michael Robert “Bob” Gale is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for writing the script for the sci-fi comedy film franchise Back to the Future, along with his writing partner Robert Zemeckis. In addition to writing the franchise, Gale also produced all three films and served as an associate producer for the animated TV series.

Gale was born in University City, Missouri, where his mother was an art dealer and violinist, and his father was an attorney and University City councilman. Gale attended University of Southern California, where he received a B.A. in Cinema in 1973. It was during his studies that Gale met his writing partner Zemeckis and began writing fanzine reviews. Gale would go on to pursue comic book writing, and in 2008, Gale joined the rotating writers team for The Amazing Spider-Man series. His further comic works include Back to the Future, a monthly series published by IDW Publishing.

As a screenwriter, Gale has collaborated on a number of films including 1941, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Used Cars, and Trespass. In 1985, Gale and Zemeckis were nominated for an Academy Award for their screenplay of Back to the Future.

In 2014, it was announced that Gale would be adapting his screenplay for the stage musical adaptation of Back to the Future. He won an Olivier award for the new show in 2022, and the show opened on Broadway in August of 2023.