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, Tolkans other most memorable roles include Napolean in Woody Allens Love and Death (1975), a ramrod army officer in WarGames (1983), mayor Robert Culps 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).
Mr. Strickland
Film 1985
Strickland
Film 1989
Marshal Strickland
Film 1990
Wigan
Film 1983
Self (archive footage)
Film 2021
Stinger
Film 1986
Judge
Film 1989
Levitt
Film 1993
Sal
Film 1990
Detective Lubic
Film 1987
Mr. Bjornstead
Film 1987
Mr. Thron
Film 1991
Dutch
Film 2004
Agent Sterling
Film 1992
Kennel Master
Film 1986
Benny Pistone
Film 1988
Det. Joseph Hanley
Film 1989
Self
Film 2009
Lt. Ed Henderson
Film 1989
Napoleon
Film 1975
Mr. Brown
Film 1971
Patch
Film 1991
Coroner
Film 1979
Lou Brackman
Film 1986
Quon
Film 1997
Hanley
Film 1985
Coolidge
Film 1989
Dr. Alex Thompson
Film 1988
Steiger
Film 1973
Vince
Film 1991
George Polito
Film 1981
William Tansey
Film 1988
Howard Simpson
Film 1984
Tonelli
Film 1995
Pianist
Film 2015
Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
Film 1996
Conferee
Film 1982
Numbers
Film 1990
Self
Film 2015
Colonel Freeman
Film 1989
Turner
Film 1985
Film 1966
Self
Film 2010
Baldy
Film 1981
The Man's contact man
Film 1973
Doctor Siegel
Film 1988
Lt. Glass
Film 1982
Tonelli
Film 1992
Edwards
Film 1969
Dark Glasses
Film 1973
Ray Parker
Film 1990
Billy
Film 1983
Norman Keyes
Tv 1982
Dr. Oates
Tv 1990
FBI Special Agent Korkos
Tv 1996
Tv 1996
Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
Tv 1958
Tv 1981
Dallas Cassel
Tv 1993
Ruger
Tv 1985
Coach Silva
Tv 1988
Lester Mintz
Tv 1985
Mike Ragland
Tv 1992
Commander Cyrus Quinn
Tv 1995
Richard Wragg
Tv 2001
Mr. Hackett
Tv 2001
FBI Agent Richard Wragg
Tv 2001
Dean Chesny
Tv 2008
Sgt. McClaine
Tv 1989
Mason Mather
Tv 1984
The Kennel Master
Tv 1954