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).
Filmography
all 74
Movies 57
TV Shows 17
self 4
Cine Docs: Back to the Future (2024)
Val (2021)
Expedition: Back To The Future (2021)
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Back in Time (2015)
Phil Spector (2013)
Tales from the Future (2010)
Looking Back to the Future (2009)
Leverage (2008)
Heavens Fall (2006)
Seven Times Lucky (2004)
A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)
Robo Warriors (1997)
Early Edition (1996)
The Pretender (1996)
Underworld (1996)
Nowhere Man (1995)
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See (1995)
Beyond Betrayal (1994)
Cobra (1993)
Boiling Point (1993)
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (1992)
The Hat Squad (1992)
Sketch Artist (1992)
Problem Child 2 (1991)
Driving Me Crazy (1991)
Hangfire (1991)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Opportunity Knocks (1990)
Family Business (1989)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Second Sight (1989)
Ministry of Vengeance (1989)
Tales from the Crypt (1989)
True Blood (1989)
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989)
Question of Faith (1988)
Split Decisions (1988)
Weekend War (1988)
The Wonder Years (1988)
Viper (1988)
Made in Heaven (1987)
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Little Spies (1986)
Armed and Dangerous (1986)
Top Gun (1986)
Off Beat (1986)
Mary (1985)
Flanagan (1985)
The Equalizer (1985)
Back to the Future (1985)
Turk 182! (1985)
The River (1984)
Miami Vice (1984)
Iceman (1984)
WarGames (1983)
Wings (1983)
Remington Steele (1982)
Author! Author! (1982)
Hanky Panky (1982)
Prince of the City (1981)
Wolfen (1981)
Hill Street Blues (1981)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Love and Death (1975)
Serpico (1973)
The Werewolf of Washington (1973)
The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
They Might Be Giants (1971)
Stiletto (1969)
The Three Sisters (1966)
Naked City (1958)
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Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1931-06-20 (92 years old)
Birth PlaceCalumet, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsJames Tolkin, Jim Tolkan, James S. Tolkan, James B. Tolkan, James Stewart Tolkan, Джеймс Толкан
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