Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and director. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990), Beverly Switzler in Howard the Duck (1986), and Amanda Jones in Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). Other films for which she is known include All the Right Moves (1983), Red Dawn (1984), Dennis the Menace (1993), and The Beverly Hillbillies (1993). In the 1990s, she played the title character in the sitcom Caroline in the City. From 2011 to 2017, she co-starred as Kathryn Kennish in the ABC Family-turned-Freeform series Switched at Birth.

Filmography

• Anna Pigeon — Executive Producer, Director
• The Chicken Sisters — Nancy Hillier, Director
• The Spencer Sisters — Victoria Spencer
• Will Trent — Director
• 2022Ten Tricks — Grace
• 2022The Disappearance of Cari Farver — Nancy Farver
• 2022Unplugging — Perkins
• INVINCIBLE — Carol (voice)
• 2021Mark, Mary + Some Other People — Aunty Carol
• 2021Next Stop, Christmas — Evelyn
• Resident Alien — Director
• DC's Stargirl — Director
• 2020Dinner in America — Betty
• Katy Keene — Director
• Star Trek: Picard — Diane Werner, Director
• 2019Cool Cat's Crazy Dream — Dream World Lea
• Schooled — Director
• 2019You Are Here — Helen
• Back to the Future: The Hill Valley Chronicles — Lorraine Baines-McFly
• 2018Little Women — Margaret "Marmee" March
• 2018Over the Hill — Sally
• 2018Sierra Burgess Is a Loser — Mrs. Burgess
• 2018The Year of Spectacular Men — Deb Klein, Director
• 2018Who We Are Now — Alana
• 2017Literally, Right Before Aaron — Deb (Adam's Mom)
• Young Sheldon — Director
• American Housewife — Director
• 2016Stars Are Already Dead — Aunt Sophia
• 2016The Dog Lover — Liz Holloway
• A to Z — Lea Thompson
• 2014Left Behind — Irene Steele
• 2014My Mother's Future Husband — René Henderson
• Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero — Vonnie (voice)
• 2014Ping Pong Summer — Mrs. Miracle
• Scorpion — Veronica Dineen
• 2013Call Me Crazy: A Five Film — Julia
• Mom — Director
• The Goldbergs — Fran, Director
• 2012Bound by Flesh — Voiceover
• 2012Love at the Christmas Table — Elissa Beth
• 2012The Trouble with the Truth — Emily
• 2012Thin Ice — Jo Ann Prohaska
• 2011Game of Your Life — Abbie
• 2011J. Edgar — Lela Rogers
• 2011Mayor Cupcake — Mary Maroni
• Switched at Birth — Kathryn Kennish, Director
• 2011The Cabin — Lily MacDougal
• 2010Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer — Laura
• 2010Rock Slyde — Master Bartologist
• 2009Fatal Secrets — Rebecca, Associate Producer
• 2009Looking Back to the Future — Self, Thanks
• 2009Splinterheads — Susan Frost
• 2008Exit Speed — Maudie McMinn
• 2008Final Approach — Alicia Bender
• 2008Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder — Cathy Davis / Jane Doe, Director
• 2008My Best Friend's Girl — Thanks
• 2008Senior Skip Day — Cathleen Harris
• 2008Spy School — Claire Miller
• 2008The Christmas Clause — Sophie
• 2007A Life Interrupted — Debbie Smith
• 2007California Dreaming — Ginger Gainor
• Greek — April
• 2007Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss — Cathy Davis
• 2007Jane Doe: Ties That Bind — Cathy Davis / Jane Doe
• Celebrity Duets
• 2006Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall — Cathy Davis, Director
• 2006Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well — Cathy Davis
• American Dad! — Caroline Duffy (voice)
• 2005Come Away Home — Carol
• 2005Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't — Cathy Davis
• 2005Jane Doe: The Wrong Face — Cathy Davis
• 2005Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part — Cathy Davis
• 2005Jane Doe: Vanishing Act — Cathy Davis
• 2003Haunted Lighthouse 4-D — Peg Van Legge
• 2003Stealing Christmas — Sarah Gibson
• 2002Fish Don't Blink — Clara
• For the People — Chief Deputy District Attorney Camille Paris
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Jennifer Rhodes
• Ed — Liz Stevens
• Family Guy — Teenaged Girl in Diner (voice), Lorraine McFly (voice)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Michelle Osborne
• A Will of their Own — Amanda Steward
• 1998The Unknown Cyclist — Melissa Cavatelli
• E! True Hollywood Story
• 1996The Right to Remain Silent — Christine Paley
• Caroline in the City — Caroline Duffy
• 1995The Unspoken Truth — Brianne Hawkins
• Friends — Caroline Duffy (uncredited)
• 1994The Little Rascals — Ms. Roberts
• 1994The Substitute Wife — Amy Hightower
• 1993Dennis the Menace — Alice Mitchell
• 1993Stolen Babies — Annie Beales
• 1993The Beverly Hillbillies — Laura Jackson
• 1992Article 99 — Dr. Robin Van Dorn
• The Larry Sanders Show — Lea Thompson
• 1990Back to the Future Part III — Maggie McFly / Lorraine McFly
• 1990Montana — Peg Guthrie
• 1989Back to the Future Part II — Lorraine
• 1989Nightbreaker — Sally Matthews
• Tales from the Crypt — Sylvia Vane
• 1988Casual Sex? — Stacy
• 1988Going Undercover — Marigold de la Hunt
• 1988The Wizard of Loneliness — Sybil
• 1987Some Kind of Wonderful — Amanda Jones
• 1986Howard the Duck — Beverly Switzler
• 1986SpaceCamp — Kathryn
• 1985Back to the Future — Lorraine Baines
• 1984Red Dawn — Erica
• 1984The Wild Life — Anita
• 1983All the Right Moves — Lisa
• 1983Jaws 3-D — Kelly Ann Bukowski
• 1983The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
• American Playhouse — Aunt Sybil
• A Pretty Good Movie — Ramona
• Manville — Director
• Queen — Dr. Page
• What If

Appearances as themselves (27)

• 2025SEGAL — Self
• 2024BRATS — Self
• 2022Marty & Doc: The Inside Story of a Phenomenon — Self
• Reunited Apart — Self
• Stars in the House — Self
• The Ready Room — Self
• 25 Words or Less — Self
• 2015Back in Time — Self
• Celebrity Family Feud — Self
• 2015Keith Lemon's Back t'Future Tribute — Self
• The Muppets — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self - Guest
• 2013Milius — Self
• Whose Line Is It Anyway? — Self
• 2012John Hughes: Life Moves Pretty Fast — Self
• 2010Tales from the Future — Self
• Head Case — Self
• 2006Looking Back at the Future — Herself
• 2006The Making of Some Kind of Wonderful — Self
• Dancing with the Stars — Self - Contestant
• The Tony Danza Show — Self - Guest
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn — Self - Guest
• Hollywood Squares — Self - Panelist
• Intimate Portrait — Self
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• 1986The Making of Back to the Future — Self
• Howard the Doc or: How I Learned to Start Quacking and Love the Bomb — Self