James Tolkan
Fiery, forceful and intimidating character actor James Tolkan has 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 and studied acting with both Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Actors Studio. Short and bald, with beady, intense eyes, a wiry, compact, muscular build, a gruff, jarring, high-decibel voice, and an aggressive, confrontational, blunt-as-a-battle-ax, rough-around-the-edges demeanor, Tolkan has been often cast as rugged, cynical no-nonsense cops, mean, domineering authority figures, and various ruthless and dangerous criminals.
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).
Acted in
Val
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Bone Tomahawk
2015
as Pianist
Back in Time
2015
as Self
Phil Spector
2013
as Judge Fidler
Tales from the Future
2010
as Self
Looking Back to the Future
2009
as Self
Leverage
2008
as Dean Chesny
Heavens Fall
2006
as Thomas Knight, Sr.
7 Times Lucky
2004
as Dutch
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
2001
as Richard Wragg
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
2001
as Mr. Hackett
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
2001
as FBI Agent Richard Wragg
Robo Warriors
1997
as Quon
Early Edition
1996
The Pretender
1996
as FBI Special Agent Korkos
Underworld
1996
as Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
Nowhere Man
1995
as Commander Cyrus Quinn
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See
1995
as Tonelli
Cobra
1993
as Dallas Cassel
Boiling Point
1993
as Levitt
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
1992
as Agent Sterling
The Hat Squad
1992
as Mike Ragland
Sketch Artist
1992
as Tonelli
Problem Child 2
1991
as Mr. Thron
Driving Me Crazy
1991
as Vince
Hangfire
1991
as Patch
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990
as Dr. Oates
Back to the Future Part III
1990
as Marshal Strickland
Dick Tracy
1990
as Numbers
Opportunity Knocks
1990
as Sal
Family Business
1989
as Judge
Back to the Future Part II
1989
as Strickland
Second Sight
1989
as Coolidge
Ministry of Vengeance
1989
as Colonel Freeman
Tales from the Crypt
1989
as Sgt. McClaine
True Blood
1989
as Det. Joseph Hanley
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers
1989
as Lt. Ed Henderson
Question of Faith
1988
as Doctor Siegel
Split Decisions
1988
as Benny Pistone
Weekend War
1988
as Dr. Alex Thompson
The Wonder Years
1988
as Coach Silva
Viper
1988
as William Tansey
Made in Heaven
1987
as Mr. Bjornstead
Masters of the Universe
1987
as Detective Lubic
Little Spies
1986
as Kennel Master
Armed and Dangerous
1986
as Lou Brackman
Top Gun
1986
as Stinger
Off Beat
1986
as Harry
Mary
1985
as Lester Mintz
Flanagan
1985
as Turner
The Equalizer
1985
as Ruger
Back to the Future
1985
as Mr. Strickland
Turk 182!
1985
as Hanley
The River
1984
as Howard Simpson
Miami Vice
1984
as Mason Mather
Iceman
1984
as Maynard
WarGames
1983
as Wigan
Remington Steele
1982
as Norman Keyes
Author! Author!
1982
as Lt. Glass
Hanky Panky
1982
as Conferee
Prince of the City
1981
as George Polito
Wolfen
1981
as Baldy
Hill Street Blues
1981
The Amityville Horror
1979
as Coroner
Love and Death
1975
as Napoleon
Serpico
1973
as Steiger
The Werewolf of Washington
1973
as Dark Glasses
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
1973
as The Man's contact man
They Might Be Giants
1971
as Mr. Brown
Stiletto
1969
as Edwards
The Three Sisters
1966
Naked City
1958
as Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk