Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
June 20, 1931
Place of Birth:
Calumet, Michigan, USA
Social Media
James Tolkan
Biography
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).
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Val | Self (archive footage) |
| 2015 | Bone Tomahawk | Pianist |
| 2015 | Back in Time | Self |
| 2013 | Phil Spector | Judge Fidler |
| 2010 | Tales from the Future | Self |
| 2009 | Looking Back to the Future | Self |
| 2006 | Heavens Fall | Thomas Knight, Sr. |
| 2004 | 7 Times Lucky | Dutch |
| 1997 | Robo Warriors | Quon |
| 1997 | Love in Ambush | Agent Price |
| 1996 | Underworld | Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan |
| 1995 | Sketch Artist II: Hands That See | Tonelli |
| 1993 | Boiling Point | Levitt |
| 1992 | Bloodfist IV: Die Trying | Agent Sterling |
| 1992 | Sketch Artist | Tonelli |
| 1991 | Problem Child 2 | Mr. Thron |
| 1991 | Hangfire | Patch |
| 1991 | Driving Me Crazy | Vince |
| 1990 | Back to the Future Part III | Marshal Strickland |
| 1990 | Opportunity Knocks | Sal |
| 1990 | Dick Tracy | Numbers |
| 1990 | Sunset Beat | Ray Parker |
| 1989 | Back to the Future Part II | Strickland |
| 1989 | Family Business | Judge |
| 1989 | True Blood | Det. Joseph Hanley |
| 1989 | The Case of the Hillside Stranglers | Lt. Ed Henderson |
| 1989 | Second Sight | Coolidge |
| 1989 | Ministry of Vengeance | Colonel Freeman |
| 1988 | Split Decisions | Benny Pistone |
| 1988 | Weekend War | Dr. Alex Thompson |
| 1988 | Viper | William Tansey |
| 1988 | Question of Faith | Doctor Siegel |
| 1987 | Masters of the Universe | Detective Lubic |
| 1987 | Made in Heaven | Mr. Bjornstead |
| 1986 | Top Gun | Stinger |
| 1986 | Off Beat | Harry |
| 1986 | Little Spies | Kennel Master |
| 1986 | Armed and Dangerous | Lou Brackman |
| 1985 | Back to the Future | Mr. Strickland |
| 1985 | Turk 182! | Hanley |
| 1985 | Flanagan | Turner |
| 1984 | Iceman | Maynard |
| 1984 | The River | Howard Simpson |
| 1983 | WarGames | Wigan |
| 1983 | Wings | Billy |
| 1982 | Hanky Panky | Conferee |
| 1982 | Author! Author! | Lt. Glass |
| 1981 | Prince of the City | George Polito |
| 1981 | Wolfen | Baldy |
| 1979 | The Amityville Horror | Coroner |
| 1976 | Independence | Tom Paine |
| 1975 | Love and Death | Napoleon |
| 1973 | Serpico | Steiger |
| 1973 | The Friends of Eddie Coyle | The Man's contact man |
| 1973 | The Werewolf of Washington | Dark Glasses |
| 1971 | They Might Be Giants | Mr. Brown |
| 1969 | Stiletto | Edwards |
| 1966 | The Three Sisters |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Leverage | Dean Chesny |
| 2001 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | Richard Wragg |
| 2001 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | Mr. Hackett |
| 2001 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | FBI Agent Richard Wragg |
| 2001 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | Leo Bingham |
| 1996 | The Pretender | FBI Special Agent Korkos |
| 1996 | Early Edition | Coach Philips |
| 1995 | Nowhere Man | Commander Cyrus Quinn |
| 1993 | Cobra | Dallas Cassel |
| 1992 | The Hat Squad | Mike Ragland |
| 1990 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Dr. Oates |
| 1989 | Tales from the Crypt | Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap") |
| 1988 | The Wonder Years | Coach Silva |
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Ruger |
| 1985 | Mary | Lester Mintz |
| 1984 | Miami Vice | Mason Mather |
| 1982 | Remington Steele | Norman Keyes |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues | |
| 1958 | Naked City | Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | The Kennel Master |