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person_profile-James Tolkan

James Tolkan Age: 94

Actor | Producer

    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 h

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    filmography

    Full Filmography
    Val

    Self (archive footage) ( Actor )

    ... 2021

    Bone Tomahawk

    Pianist ( Actor )

    ... 2015

    Back in Time

    Self ( Actor )

    ... 2015

Fullname:

James Tolkan

Date of Birth:

Jun 20, 1931

Country of birth:

USA

Biography of

James Tolkan

    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).

Photos of

James Tolkan

Photos ( 2 Photos

Filmography of

James Tolkan

Found 57 Movies in total

Val

Self (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 2021

Bone Tomahawk

Pianist ( Actor )

... 2015

Back in Time

Self ( Actor )

... 2015

Phil Spector

Judge Fidler ( Actor )

... 2013

... 2010

Looking Back to the Future

Self ( Actor )

Thanks

... 2009

Heavens Fall

Thomas Knight, Sr. ( Actor )

... 2006

7 Times Lucky

Dutch ( Actor )

... 2004

Love in Ambush

Agent Price ( Actor )

... 1997

Robo Warriors

Quon ( Actor )

... 1996

Underworld

Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan ( Actor )

... 1996

... 1995

Boiling Point

Levitt ( Actor )

... 1993

Bloodfist IV: Die Trying

Agent Sterling ( Actor )

... 1992

Sketch Artist

Tonelli ( Actor )

... 1992

Problem Child 2

Mr. Thron ( Actor )

... 1991

Driving Me Crazy

Vince ( Actor )

... 1991

Hangfire

Patch ( Actor )

... 1991

Back to the Future Part III

Marshal Strickland ( Actor )

... 1990

Sunset Beat

Ray Parker ( Actor )

... 1990

Dick Tracy

Numbers ( Actor )

... 1990

Opportunity Knocks

Sal ( Actor )

... 1990

Family Business

Judge ( Actor )

... 1989

Back to the Future Part II

Strickland ( Actor )

... 1989

Ministry of Vengeance

Colonel Freeman ( Actor )

... 1989

Second Sight

Coolidge ( Actor )

... 1989

True Blood

Det. Joseph Hanley ( Actor )

... 1989

The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

Lt. Ed Henderson ( Actor )

... 1989

Question of Faith

Doctor Siegel ( Actor )

... 1988

Split Decisions

Benny Pistone ( Actor )

... 1988

Weekend War

Dr. Alex Thompson ( Actor )

... 1988

Viper

William Tansey ( Actor )

... 1988

Made in Heaven

Mr. Bjornstead ( Actor )

... 1987

Masters of the Universe

Detective Lubic ( Actor )

... 1987

Little Spies

Kennel Master ( Actor )

... 1986

Armed and Dangerous

Lou Brackman ( Actor )

... 1986

Top Gun

Cmdr. Tom 'Stinger' Jardian ( Actor )

... 1986

Off Beat

Harry ( Actor )

... 1986

Flanagan

Turner ( Actor )

... 1985

Back to the Future

Mr. Strickland ( Actor )

... 1985

Turk 182!

Hanley ( Actor )

... 1985

The River

Howard Simpson ( Actor )

... 1984

Iceman

Maynard ( Actor )

... 1984

WarGames

Wigan ( Actor )

... 1983

Wings

Billy ( Actor )

... 1983

Author! Author!

Lt. Glass ( Actor )

... 1982

Hanky Panky

Conferee ( Actor )

... 1982

Prince of the City

George Polito ( Actor )

... 1981

Wolfen

Baldy ( Actor )

... 1981

The Amityville Horror

Coroner ( Actor )

... 1979

Love and Death

Napoleon ( Actor )

... 1975

Serpico

Steiger ( Actor )

... 1973

The Werewolf of Washington

Dark Glasses ( Actor )

... 1973

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

The Man's contact man ( Actor )

... 1973

They Might Be Giants

Mr. Brown ( Actor )

... 1971

Stiletto

Edwards ( Actor )

... 1969

... 1966