James Tolkan
| James Tolkan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
James Stewart Tolkan June 20, 1931 Calumet, Michigan, United States |
| Other names | James S. Tolkan, Jim Tolkan |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Spouse(s) | Parmelee Welles[1][2] |
James Stewart Tolkan (born June 20, 1931) is an American actor, known for his work in films such as Serpico, Top Gun and the Back to the Future franchise.
Early life
James Stewart Tolkan[1] was born in Calumet, Michigan, the son of Dale Nichols and Ralph M. Tolkan,[3] a cattle dealer, and attended the University of Iowa, Coe College, the Actors Studio and Eastern Arizona College.[4]
Career
Tolkan is known for his role in the 1985 film Back to the Future as the strict, Hill Valley High School principal Gerald Strickland. He referred to Marty McFly, his father, and Biff Tannen derisively as "slackers". He reprised the role in the 1989 sequel Back to the Future Part II, where unnamed gang members made a drive-by assault on him in a bleak alternate present (then 1985). He also referred to these criminals as "slackers" as he shot back. In 1990, he played the part of Mr. Strickland's grandfather Chief Marshal James Strickland in Back to the Future Part III. Tolkan would reprise his role as Strickland in addition to playing his character's ancestors and descendants in the 1991 animated series spin-off.
Other well-known roles include an FBI agent in WarGames and Stinger, the no-nonsense commanding officer of the USS Enterprise's(CVN-65) embarked Carrier Air Wing in the 1986 box-office hit Top Gun. He portrayed the role of cold and determined District Attorney Polito in Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City. He also appeared in the 1987 film Masters of the Universe as Detective Lubic. He had a dual role in the Woody Allen comedy Love and Death, playing both Napoleon and a look-alike. He also appeared as Big Boy Caprice's accountant "Numbers" in the 1990 Warren Beatty film Dick Tracy. He appeared in Serpico (1973) in a small but notable role as a cop who loudly accuses Officer Serpico of having a gay encounter with another cop in the men's room.
Tolkan has also made guest appearances on many TV shows, including Naked City, Remington Steele, Miami Vice and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. A member of the repertory cast of A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002), he played more than a dozen varied roles in the A&E TV series and also directed two episodes ("Die Like a Dog" and "The Next Witness").
Personal life
On August 28, 1971 Tolkan was married to Parmelee Welles, a staff person at the American Place Theater in New York.[1]
Filmography
Actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Naked City (TV series) | Evan Humboldt | "The Man Who Bit a Diamond in Half" |
| 1962 | Armstrong Circle Theatre (TV series) | Stefan Malwitz | "The Man Who Refused to Die" |
| 1966 | The Three Sisters | ||
| 1969 | N.Y.P.D. | "The Night Watch" | |
| Stiletto | Edwards | ||
| 1971 | They Might Be Giants | Mr. Brown | |
| 1973 | The Friends of Eddie Coyle | The Man's contact man | |
| The Werewolf of Washington | Dark Glasses | ||
| Serpico | Lt. Steiger | ||
| 1975 | Love and Death | Napoleon Bonaparte | |
| 1976 | Independence | Tom Paine | |
| 1979 | The Amityville Horror | Coroner | |
| 1981 | Wolfen | Baldy | |
| Prince of the City | District Attorney Polito | ||
| 1982 | Hanky Panky | Conferee | |
| Author! Author! | Lt. Glass | ||
| 1983 | Wings (TV) | Billy | |
| WarGames | FBI Agent Nigan | ||
| Nightmares | Voice of the Bishop | (segment) "Bishop of Battle" | |
| 1984 | Iceman | Maynard | |
| The River | Howard Simpson | ||
| 1985 | Turk 182! | Hanley | |
| Hill Street Blues | Coach Beasley | "Queen for a Day" | |
| Back to the Future | Principal Strickland | ||
| Walls of Glass | Turner | ||
| 1985–1986 | Mary (TV series) | Lester Mintz | |
| 1985–1987 | Remington Steele (TV series) | Norman Keyes | "Diced Steele" "Forged Steele" "Bonds of Steele" "The Steele That Wouldn't Die" |
| 1986 | Off Beat | Harry | |
| Top Gun | Captain Tom "Stinger" Jardian | ||
| Armed and Dangerous | Lou Brackman | ||
| Little Spies | The Kennel Master | ||
| 1987 | Masters of the Universe | Detective Lubic | |
| Made in Heaven | Mr. Bjornstead | ||
| Miami Vice | Mason Mather | "Amen ... Send Money" | |
| 1988 | Weekend War (TV) | Dr. Alex Thompson | |
| Viper | Col. William Tansey | ||
| Leap of Faith (TV) | Dr. Siegel | ||
| Split Decisions | Benny Pistone | ||
| 1989 | The Equalizer (TV series) | Ruger | "The Visitation" |
| The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (TV) | |||
| True Blood | Det. Joseph Hanley | ||
| Second Sight | Coolidge | ||
| Back to the Future Part II | Principal Strickland | ||
| Ministry of Vengeance | Col. Freeman | ||
| Family Business | Judge in 2nd Trial | ||
| 1990 | Opportunity Knocks | Sal Nichols | |
| Sunset Beat (TV series) | Ray Parker | "One Down, Four Up" | |
| Back to the Future Part III | Chief Marshal James Strickland | ||
| Dick Tracy | Numbers | ||
| The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Dr. Oates (alias Dr. Bloat) | "Day Damn One" | |
| 1991 | Hangfire | Patch | |
| Trabbi Goes to Hollywood | Vince | ||
| Tales from the Crypt (TV series) | Sgt. McClaine | "The Trap" | |
| Problem Child 2 | Mr. Thorn | ||
| 1992 | Tequila and Bonetti (TV series) | "Fetch This, Pal" | |
| Sketch Artist (TV) | Lt. Tonelli | ||
| The Hat Squad (TV series) | Mike Ragland | "The Widow Marker" | |
| Bloodfist IV: Die Trying | Agent Sterling | ||
| 1993 | The Wonder Years (TV series) | Coach Silva | "Hulk Arnold" |
| Boiling Point | Levitt | ||
| 1993–1994 | Cobra (TV series) | Dallas Cassel | |
| 1994 | Beyond Betrayal (TV) | Joe Maloney | |
| 1995 | Sketch Artist II: Hands That See (TV) | Tonelli | |
| 1996 | Top Gun: Fire at Will (video game) | Commander Hondo | |
| Nowhere Man (TV series) | Commander Cyrus Quinn | "Heart of Darkness" | |
| Underworld | Dan "Iceberg" Eagan | ||
| Robo Warriors | Quon | ||
| Early Edition (TV series) | Coach Phillips | "Hoops" | |
| 1997 | Love in Ambush (TV) | Agent Price | |
| The Pretender (TV series) | FBI Special Agne Korkos | "Dragon House" | |
| 1999 | Wings: Thrill of Flight | Host | |
| 2001–2002 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV series) | Richard Wragg Mr. Hackett Bernard Quest W.J. Mr. Joseph Pitcairn Percy Ludlow Avery Ballou Loftus, Dog Expert Leo Bingham Adrian Dart Benedict Aiken Ben Jenson Richard Wragg Ed Graboff |
"The Doorbell Rang" "Champagne for One" "Prisoner's Base" "Disguise for Murder" "Door to Death" "Over My Dead Body" "Death of a Doxy" "Die Like a Dog" "Motherhunt" "Poison à la Carte" "Too Many Clients" "Help Wanted, Male" "The Silent Speaker" "Cop Killer" |
| 2004 | Seven Times Lucky | Dutch | |
| 2006 | Heavens Fall | Thomas Knight Sr. | |
| 2011 | Leverage (TV series) | Dean Chesny | "The Cross My Heart Job" |
| 2013 | Phil Spector | Larry Fidler | TV film |
| 2015 | Bone Tomahawk | The Pianist |
References
- 1 2 3 "Miss Welles Wed to Actor". The New York Times. August 29, 1971
- ↑ "James S Tolkan". ancestry.com.
- ↑ "James Tolkan Biography (1931-)". Film Reference.
- ↑ Yahoo Movies biography Archived August 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
External links
- James Tolkan at the Internet Movie Database
- James Tolkan at the Internet Broadway Database
- Tolkan Donates Scripts, Memorabilia To UNA