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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
June 20, 1931
Place of Birth
Calumet, Michigan, USA
Also Known As
- James Tolkin
- Jim Tolkan
- James S. Tolkan
- James B. Tolkan
- James Stewart Tolkan
- Джеймс Толкан
- جیمز تولکان
James Tolkan
1.8 Popularity
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
6.9
Pianist
Bone Tomahawk
2015
6.5
Self
Back in Time
2015
5.7
Judge Fidler
Phil Spector
2013
6.7
Self
Tales from the Future
2010
7.3
Self
Looking Back to the Future
2009
7.6
Dean Chesny
Leverage
2008
6.9
Thomas Knight, Sr.
Heavens Fall
2006
6.3
Dutch
7 Times Lucky
2004
7.8
Richard Wragg
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
2001
7.8
Mr. Hackett
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
2001
Credits
Bone Tomahawk
as Pianist
2015
6.9
Back in Time
as Self
2015
6.5
Phil Spector
as Judge Fidler
2013
5.7
Tales from the Future
as Self
2010
6.7
Looking Back to the Future
as Self
2009
7.3
Leverage
as Dean Chesny
2008
7.6
Heavens Fall
as Thomas Knight, Sr.
2006
6.9
7 Times Lucky
as Dutch
2004
6.3
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
as Richard Wragg
2001
7.8
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
as Mr. Hackett
2001
7.8
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
as FBI Agent Richard Wragg
2001
7.8
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
as Leo Bingham
2001
7.8
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
as Bernard Quest
2001
7.8
Love in Ambush
as Agent Price
1997
0.0
Robo Warriors
as Quon
1996
5.3
Early Edition
as Coach Philips
1996
7.3
The Pretender
as FBI Special Agent Korkos
1996
7.4
Underworld
as Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
1996
5.0
Nowhere Man
as Commander Cyrus Quinn
1995
7.7
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See
as Tonelli
1995
5.9
Cobra
as Dallas Cassel
1993
6.6
Boiling Point
as Levitt
1993
4.9
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
as Agent Sterling
1992
5.0
The Hat Squad
as Mike Ragland
1992
6.8
Sketch Artist
as Tonelli
1992
5.3
Problem Child 2
as Mr. Thron
1991
5.9
Driving Me Crazy
as Vince
1991
3.7
Hangfire
as Patch
1991
4.0
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
as Dr. Oates
1990
7.9
Guns: A Day in the Death of America
as Narrator
1990
0.0
Back to the Future Part III
as Marshal Strickland
1990
7.5
Dick Tracy
as Numbers
1990
6.1
Opportunity Knocks
as Sal
1990
5.6
Family Business
as Judge
1989
5.7
Back to the Future Part II
as Strickland
1989
7.8
Second Sight
as Coolidge
1989
4.3
Ministry of Vengeance
as Colonel Freeman
1989
3.0
Tales from the Crypt
as Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap")
1989
7.9
True Blood
as Det. Joseph Hanley
1989
5.4
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers
as Lt. Ed Henderson
1989
6.3
Question of Faith
as Doctor Siegel
1988
0.0
Split Decisions
as Benny Pistone
1988
5.0
Weekend War
as Dr. Alex Thompson
1988
1.5
The Wonder Years
as Coach Silva
1988
8.3
Viper
as William Tansey
1988
3.8
Made in Heaven
as Mr. Bjornstead
1987
6.5
Masters of the Universe
as Detective Lubic
1987
5.7
Little Spies
as Kennel Master
1986
6.1
Armed and Dangerous
as Lou Brackman
1986
5.7
Top Gun
as Stinger
1986
7.1
Off Beat
as Harry
1986
4.7
Mary
as Lester Mintz
1985
5.0
Flanagan
as Turner
1985
0.0
The Equalizer
as Ruger
1985
7.1
Back to the Future
as Mr. Strickland
1985
8.3
Turk 182!
as Hanley
1985
5.8
The River
as Howard Simpson
1984
6.4
Miami Vice
as Mason Mather
1984
7.5
Iceman
as Maynard
1984
6.2
WarGames
as Wigan
1983
7.1
Wings
as Billy
1983
0.0
Remington Steele
as Norman Keyes
1982
7.1
Author! Author!
as Lt. Glass
1982
5.9
Hanky Panky
as Conferee
1982
5.3
Prince of the City
as George Polito
1981
7.0
Wolfen
as Baldy
1981
5.9
Hill Street Blues
1981
7.6
The Amityville Horror
as Coroner
1979
6.3
Independence
as Tom Paine
1976
0.0
Love and Death
as Napoleon
1975
7.5
Serpico
as Steiger
1973
7.5
The Werewolf of Washington
as Dark Glasses
1973
3.7
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
as The Man's contact man
1973
7.2
They Might Be Giants
as Mr. Brown
1971
7.0
Stiletto
as Edwards
1969
5.0
The Three Sisters
1966
0.0
Naked City
as Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
1958
5.5
The Wonderful World of Disney
as The Kennel Master
1954
7.8