James Tolkan

Biography

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).

Known For

Miami Vice

Hill Street Blues

The Wonder Years

The Equalizer

Early Edition

The Pretender

Naked City

Tales from the Crypt

All Movies (57)

• Bone Tomahawk2015 · as Pianist
• Back in Time2015 · as Self
• Phil Spector2013 · as Judge Fidler
• Tales from the Future2010 · as Self
• Looking Back to the Future2009 · as Self
• Heavens Fall2006 · as Thomas Knight, Sr.
• 7 Times Lucky2004 · as Dutch
• Love in Ambush1997 · as Agent Price
• Robo Warriors1996 · as Quon
• Underworld1996 · as Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
• Sketch Artist II: Hands That See1995 · as Tonelli
• Boiling Point1993 · as Levitt
• Bloodfist IV: Die Trying1992 · as Agent Sterling
• Sketch Artist1992 · as Tonelli
• Problem Child 21991 · as Mr. Thron
• Driving Me Crazy1991 · as Vince
• Hangfire1991 · as Patch
• Guns: A Day in the Death of America1990 · as Narrator
• Dick Tracy1990 · as Numbers
• Back to the Future Part III1990 · as Marshal Strickland
• Opportunity Knocks1990 · as Sal
• Family Business1989 · as Judge
• Back to the Future Part II1989 · as Strickland
• Second Sight1989 · as Coolidge
• Ministry of Vengeance1989 · as Colonel Freeman
• True Blood1989 · as Det. Joseph Hanley
• The Case of the Hillside Stranglers1989 · as Lt. Ed Henderson
• Question of Faith1988 · as Doctor Siegel
• Split Decisions1988 · as Benny Pistone
• Weekend War1988 · as Dr. Alex Thompson
• Viper1988 · as William Tansey
• Made in Heaven1987 · as Mr. Bjornstead
• Masters of the Universe1987 · as Lubic
• Little Spies1986 · as Kennel Master
• Armed and Dangerous1986 · as Lou Brackman
• Top Gun1986 · as Stinger
• Off Beat1986 · as Harry
• Flanagan1985 · as Turner
• Back to the Future1985 · as Mr. Strickland
• Turk 182!1985 · as Hanley
• The River1984 · as Howard Simpson
• Iceman1984 · as Maynard
• WarGames1983 · as Wigan
• Wings1983 · as Billy
• Author! Author!1982 · as Lt. Glass
• Hanky Panky1982 · as Conferee
• Prince of the City1981 · as George Polito
• Wolfen1981 · as Baldy
• The Amityville Horror1979 · as Coroner
• Independence1976 · as Tom Paine
• Love and Death1975 · as Napoleon
• Serpico1973 · as Steiger
• The Werewolf of Washington1973 · as Dark Glasses
• The Friends of Eddie Coyle1973 · as The Man's Contact Man
• They Might Be Giants1971 · as Mr. Brown
• Stiletto1969 · as Edwards
• The Three Sisters1966

All TV Shows (31)

• Leverage2008 · as Dean Chesny
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Special Agent In Charge Richard Wragg
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Mr. Hackett
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as FBI Agent Richard Wragg
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Leo Bingham
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Bernard Quest
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as W.J.
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Mr. Joseph Pitcairn
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Percy Ludlow
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Avery Ballou
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Loftus, Dog Expert
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Adrian Dart
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Benedict Aiken
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Ben Jenson
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery2001 · as Ed Graboff
• Early Edition1996 · as Coach Philips
• The Pretender1996 · as FBI Special Agent Korkos
• Nowhere Man1995 · as Cyrus Quinn
• Cobra1993 · as Dallas Cassel
• The Hat Squad1992 · as Mike Ragland
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air1990 · as Dr. Oates
• Sunset Beat1990 · as Ray Parker
• Tales from the Crypt1989 · as Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap")
• The Wonder Years1988 · as Coach Silva
• Mary1985 · as Lester Mintz
• The Equalizer1985 · as Ruger
• Miami Vice1984 · as Mason Mather
• Remington Steele1982 · as Norman Keyes
• Hill Street Blues1981
• Naked City1958 · as Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
• The Wonderful World of Disney1954 · as The Kennel Master