Acting · Calumet, Michigan, USA · Born June 20, 1931
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 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).
MovieBone Tomahawk
2015
as Pianist
MovieBack in Time
2015
as Self
MoviePhil Spector
2013
as Judge Fidler
MovieTales from the Future
2010
as Self
MovieLooking Back to the Future
2009
as Self
TVLeverage
2008
as Dean Chesny
MovieHeavens Fall
2006
as Thomas Knight, Sr.
Movie7 Times Lucky
2004
as Dutch
TVA Nero Wolfe Mystery
2001
as Special Agent In Charge Richard Wragg
MovieLove in Ambush
1997
as Agent Price
MovieRobo Warriors
1996
as Quon
TVEarly Edition
1996
as Coach Philips
TVThe Pretender
1996
as FBI Special Agent Korkos
MovieUnderworld
1996
as Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
TVNowhere Man
1995
as Cyrus Quinn
MovieSketch Artist II: Hands That See
1995
as Tonelli
TVCobra
1993
as Dallas Cassel
MovieBoiling Point
1993
as Levitt
MovieBloodfist IV: Die Trying
1992
as Agent Sterling
TVThe Hat Squad
1992
as Mike Ragland
MovieSketch Artist
1992
as Tonelli
MovieProblem Child 2
1991
as Mr. Thron
MovieDriving Me Crazy
1991
as Vince
MovieHangfire
1991
as Patch
TVThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990
as Dr. Oates
MovieGuns: A Day in the Death of America
1990
as Narrator
MovieDick Tracy
1990
as Numbers
MovieBack to the Future Part III
1990
as Marshal Strickland
TVSunset Beat
1990
as Ray Parker
MovieOpportunity Knocks
1990
as Sal
MovieFamily Business
1989
as Judge
MovieBack to the Future Part II
1989
as Strickland
MovieSecond Sight
1989
as Coolidge
MovieMinistry of Vengeance
1989
as Colonel Freeman
TVTales from the Crypt
1989
as Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap")
MovieTrue Blood
1989
as Det. Joseph Hanley
MovieThe Case of the Hillside Stranglers
1989
as Lt. Ed Henderson
MovieQuestion of Faith
1988
as Doctor Siegel
MovieSplit Decisions
1988
as Benny Pistone
MovieWeekend War
1988
as Dr. Alex Thompson
TVThe Wonder Years
1988
as Coach Silva
MovieViper
1988
as William Tansey
MovieMade in Heaven
1987
as Mr. Bjornstead
MovieMasters of the Universe
1987
as Lubic
MovieLittle Spies
1986
as Kennel Master
MovieArmed and Dangerous
1986
as Lou Brackman
MovieTop Gun
1986
as Stinger
MovieOff Beat
1986
as Harry
TVMary
1985
as Lester Mintz
MovieFlanagan
1985
as Turner
TVThe Equalizer
1985
as Ruger
MovieBack to the Future
1985
as Mr. Strickland
MovieTurk 182!
1985
as Hanley
MovieThe River
1984
as Howard Simpson
TVMiami Vice
1984
as Mason Mather
MovieIceman
1984
as Maynard
MovieWarGames
1983
as Wigan
MovieWings
1983
as Billy
TVRemington Steele
1982
as Norman Keyes
MovieAuthor! Author!
1982
as Lt. Glass
MovieHanky Panky
1982
as Conferee
TVAmerican Playhouse
1982
as Billy
MoviePrince of the City
1981
as George Polito
MovieWolfen
1981
as Baldy
TVHill Street Blues
1981
MovieThe Amityville Horror
1979
as Coroner
MovieIndependence
1976
as Tom Paine
MovieLove and Death
1975
as Napoleon
MovieSerpico
1973
as Steiger
MovieThe Werewolf of Washington
1973
as Dark Glasses
MovieThe Friends of Eddie Coyle
1973
as The Man's Contact Man
MovieThey Might Be Giants
1971
as Mr. Brown
MovieStiletto
1969
as Edwards
MovieThe Three Sisters
1966
TVNaked City
1958
as Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
TVThe Wonderful World of Disney
1954
as The Kennel Master
