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James Tolkan(I)

  • Actor
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
James Tolkan as Thomas Knight Sr. in Heavens Fall
Trailer for Back in Time
Play trailer2:33
Back in Time (2015)
9 Videos
13 Photos
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).

James has had recurring parts on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001) (he also directed two episodes), Mary (1985), Cobra (1993), The Hat Squad (1992) and Remington Steele (1982). Among the television series James has done guest spots on are Naked City (1958), Hill Street Blues (1981), Miami Vice (1984), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), The Equalizer (1985), The Wonder Years (1988) and The Pretender (1996). Besides his film and television work, Tolkan has also performed on stage in productions of such plays as "Between Two Thieves", "Wings", "One Tennis Shoe", "The Front Page", "Twelve Angry Men", "Full Circle", "The Tempest", "Golda", "The Silent Partner" and the original 1984 Broadway production of David Mamet's "Glengary, Glen Ross". When he isn't acting, James Tolkan spends his spare time collecting folk art.
BornJune 20, 1931
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    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJune 20, 1931
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Photos13

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    Known for

    Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in WarGames (1983)
    WarGames
    7.1
    • Wigan
    • 1983
    Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis in Top Gun (1986)
    Top Gun
    7.0
    • Stinger
    • 1986
    Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future (1985)
    Back to the Future
    8.5
    • Mr. Strickland
    • 1985
    Dolph Lundgren, Robert Duncan McNeill, and Courteney Cox in Masters of the Universe (1987)
    Masters of the Universe
    5.4
    • Detective Lubic
    • 1987

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Poppy Kampalis, Ariel Turobiner, Paul G.M. Lambert, Chermilla, Nicholas Smith, and Tyler Dunivan in BTTF Project 85: The Back to the Future Fan Remake (2020)
      BTTF Project 85: The Back to the Future Fan Remake
      5.4
      • Mr. Strickland (uncredited)
      • 2020
    • Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, and Patrick Wilson in Bone Tomahawk (2015)
      Bone Tomahawk
      7.1
      • Pianist
      • 2015
    • Al Pacino and Helen Mirren in Phil Spector (2013)
      Phil Spector
      6.2
      TV Movie
      • Judge Fidler
      • 2013
    • Back to the Future Part III: Deleted Scene (2011)
      Back to the Future Part III: Deleted Scene
      7.6
      Video
      • Marshal Strickland
      • 2011
    • Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and Beth Riesgraf in Leverage (2008)
      Leverage
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Dean Chesny
      • 2011
    • Timothy Hutton, David Strathairn, Leelee Sobieski, and Anthony Mackie in Heavens Fall (2006)
      Heavens Fall
      6.6
      • Thomas Knight, Sr.
      • 2006
    • Seven Times Lucky (2004)
      Seven Times Lucky
      6.0
      • Dutch
      • 2004
    • A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)
      A Nero Wolfe Mystery
      8.4
      TV Series
      • Ed Graboff
      • FBI Agent Richard Wragg
      • Ben Jenson ...
      • 2001–2002
    • Wings: Thrill of Flight
      • Host
      • 1999
    • Andrea Parker and Michael T. Weiss in The Pretender (1996)
      The Pretender
      7.5
      TV Series
      • FBI Special Agent Korkos
      • 1997
    • Love in Ambush (1997)
      Love in Ambush
      5.4
      TV Movie
      • Agent Price
      • 1997
    • Top Gun: Fire at Will (1996)
      Top Gun: Fire at Will
      5.6
      Video Game
      • Commander Hondo
      • 1996
    • Robo Warriors (1996)
      Robo Warriors
      4.7
      • Quon
      • 1996
    • Kyle Chandler and Shanesia Davis in Early Edition (1996)
      Early Edition
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Coach Philips
      • 1996
    • Denis Leary, Joe Mantegna, and Annabella Sciorra in Underworld (1996)
      Underworld
      4.7
      • Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
      • 1996

    Director



    • A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)
      A Nero Wolfe Mystery
      8.4
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2002

    Videos9

    Back to the Future: 30th Anniversary
    Clip 2:13
    Back to the Future: 30th Anniversary
    Back in Time
    Trailer 2:33
    Back in Time
    Back in Time
    Trailer 2:33
    Back in Time
    Back to the Future: The Trilogy: 25th Anniversary Trilogy
    Trailer 1:06
    Back to the Future: The Trilogy: 25th Anniversary Trilogy
    Back to the Future
    Trailer 1:21
    Back to the Future
    Top Gun
    Trailer 0:13
    Top Gun
    Heavens Fall
    Trailer 2:04
    Heavens Fall

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative names
      • James B. Tolkan
    • Height
      • 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
    • Born
      • June 20, 1931
      • Calumet, Michigan, USA
    • Spouse
      • Parmelee WellesAugust 28, 1971 - present
    • Parents
        Ralph M. Tolkan
    • Relatives
        Anna Tolkan(Grandparent)
    • Other works
      Played Tola in a Broadway stage production of "Narrow Road to the Deep South" which ran from January 6, 1972 to February 12, 1972

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Attended the University of Iowa, Coe College and Eastern Arizona College (EAC).
    • Trademarks
        Often plays strict, overbearing authority figures

    FAQ

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is James Tolkan?
      93 years old
    • When was James Tolkan born?
      June 20, 1931
    • Where was James Tolkan born?
      Calumet, Michigan, USA
    • What is James Tolkan's birth name?
      James Stewart Tolkan
    • How tall is James Tolkan?
      5 feet 5 inches, or 1.65 meters

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