James Tolkan
- a.k.a. James Tolkin
- Jim Tolkan
- James S. Tolkan
- James B. Tolkan
- James Stewart Tolkan
- Джеймс Толкан
- جیمز تولکان
This product uses the TMDb and OMDb APIs but is not endorsed or certified by either TMDb or OMDb.
You can also find this person on TMDb.org and IMDb.com.
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).
German (Deutsch)
James Stewart Tolkan, beruflich nur James Tolkan, war ein US-amerikanischer Schauspieler. Sein Vater, Ralph M. Tolkan, war Viehhändler. Nach einem Jahr Wehrdienst bei der US-Marine ging Tolkan nach New York und studierte Schauspiel bei Lee Strasberg und Stella Adler am Actors Studio. Klein und kahlköpfig, mit stechenden, intensiven Augen, drahtiger, kompakter, muskulöser Statur, einer rauen, schrillen Stimme und einem aggressiven, konfrontativen, schnörkellosen und ungeschliffenen Auftreten, wurde Tolkan oft als raubeiniger, zynischer, pragmatischer Polizist, gemeiner, herrischer Autoritätsfigur und diverser skrupelloser und gefährlicher Krimineller besetzt. Tolkan begann seine Schauspielkarriere Ende der 1960er-Jahre und überzeugte in zwei Filmen von Sidney Lumet: „Serpico“ (1973) und „Prince of the City“ (1981). Bekannt wurde er vor allem durch seine Rolle als Highschool-Direktor Gerard Strickland in den „Zurück in die Zukunft“-Filmen. Zu Tolkans weiteren Rollen zählen Napoleon in Woody Allens „Liebe und Tod“ (1975), ein sturer Offizier in „WarGames“ (1983), Robert Culps Assistent in „Turk 182“ (1985), Commander Stinger in „Top Gun“ (1986), Detective Lubric in „Masters of the Universe“ (1987), Mafia-Buchhalter Numbers in „Dick Tracy“ (1990) und Wesley Snipes’ herrischer Vorgesetzter in „Boiling Point“ (1993).
French (Français)
James S. Tolkan, né le 20 juin 1931 à Calumet dans le Michigan et mort le 26 mars 2026 dans l'état de New York, est un acteur américain. Habitué aux rôles de figure d'autorité due à son physique de chauve aux sourcils froncés, il est le principal Strickland dans les deux premiers film de la trilogie Retour vers le futur et son ancêtre, le marshall Strickland, dans le troisième et dernier film.
- Gender
- male
- Date of Birth
- Place of Birth
- Calumet, Michigan, USA
- Date of Death
- ()
Credits
Cast
| Character | Movie / TV Show | Genres | Release | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Chesny | LeverageTV | 76% · 435 | ||
| Marshal Strickland | Back to the Future Part III | 75% · 11,631 | ||
| Strickland | Back to the Future Part II | 78% · 14,062 | ||
| Mr. Strickland | Back to the Future | 83% · 22,019 |