James Tolkan
Fiery, forceful and intimidating character actor James Tolkan carved out a nice little niche for himself in both movies and television alike as a formidable portrayer of fierce and flinty hard-boiled tough guy types. James Stewart Tolkan was born on June 20, 1931 in Calumet, Michigan. His father, Ralph M. Tolkan, was a cattle dealer. James attended the University of Iowa, Coe College and Eastern Arizona College. After serving a year-long stint in the United States Navy, Tolkan went to New York
Tolkan first began acting in movies in the late 1960s and was highly effective in two pictures for Sidney Lumet: He was a rabidly homophobic police lieutenant in the superbly gritty Serpico (1973) and a sneaky district attorney in the equally excellent Prince of the City (1981). Best known as the obnoxiously overzealous high school principal Gerard Strickland in the Back to the Future films, Tolkan's other most memorable roles include Napolean in Woody Allen's Love and Death (1975), a ramrod army officer in WarGames (1983), mayor Robert Culp's mordant, wisecracking assistant in Turk 182 (1985), the hard-nosed Stinger in Top Gun (1986), the choleric Detective Lubric in Masters of the Universe (1987), meek mob accountant Numbers in Dick Tracy (1990), and Wesley Snipes' bullish superior in Boiling Point (1993).
Born
Jun 20, 1931
Calumet, Michigan, USA
Died
Mar 26, 2026
Known For
Acting
Movies
59 acting
1 crew
Popularity
1.5
Known For
Back to the Future
1985
as Mr. Strickland
Top Gun
1986
as Stinger
Back to the Future Part II
1989
as Strickland
Back to the Future Part III
1990
as Marshal Strickland
WarGames
1983
as Wigan
Masters of the Universe
1987
as Lubic
Bone Tomahawk
2015
as Pianist
Serpico
1973
as Steiger
The Amityville Horror
1979
as Coroner
Problem Child 2
1991
as Mr. Thron
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