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).

Фільмографія

• 2015Кістяний томагавк — Pianist
• 2013Phil Spector — Judge Fidler
• 2009Looking Back to the Future — Self, Thanks
• Генії Помсти — Dean Chesny
• 2006Heavens Fall — Thomas Knight, Sr.
• 20047 Times Lucky — Dutch
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery — Special Agent In Charge Richard Wragg, Mr. Hackett, FBI Agent Richard Wragg, Leo Bingham, Bernard Quest, W.J., Mr. Joseph Pitcairn, Percy Ludlow, Avery Ballou, Loftus, Dog Expert, Adrian Dart, Benedict Aiken, Ben Jenson, Ed Graboff, Producer
• 1997Love in Ambush — Agent Price
• Early Edition — Coach Philips
• 1996Robo Warriors — Quon
• 1996Underworld — Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
• Імітатор — FBI Special Agent Korkos
• Nowhere Man — Cyrus Quinn
• 1995Sketch Artist II: Hands That See — Tonelli
• 1994Beyond Betrayal — Joe Maloney
• 1993Boiling Point — Levitt
• Cobra — Dallas Cassel
• 1992Bloodfist IV: Die Trying — Agent Sterling
• 1992Sketch Artist — Tonelli
• The Hat Squad — Mike Ragland
• 1991Driving Me Crazy — Vince
• 1991Hangfire — Patch
• 1991Проблемна дитина 2 — Mr. Thron
• 1990Guns: A Day in the Death of America — Narrator
• 1990Opportunity Knocks — Sal
• Sunset Beat — Ray Parker
• 1990Дік Трейсі — Numbers
• 1990Назад у майбутнє. Частина третя — Marshal Strickland
• Принц із Беверлі Хіллз — Dr. Oates
• 1989Ministry of Vengeance — Colonel Freeman
• 1989Second Sight — Coolidge
• 1989The Case of the Hillside Stranglers — Lt. Ed Henderson
• 1989True Blood — Det. Joseph Hanley
• Байки зі склепу — Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap")
• 1989Назад у майбутнє. Частина друга — Strickland
• 1989Сімейний бізнес — Judge
• 1988Question of Faith — Doctor Siegel
• 1988Split Decisions — Benny Pistone
• 1988Viper — William Tansey
• 1988Weekend War — Dr. Alex Thompson
• Чудові роки — Coach Silva
• 1987Made in Heaven — Mr. Bjornstead
• 1987Володарі Всесвіту — Lubic
• 1986Little Spies — Kennel Master
• 1986Off Beat — Harry
• 1986Кращий стрілець — Stinger
• 1986Озброєні та небезпечні — Lou Brackman
• 1985Flanagan — Turner
• Mary — Lester Mintz
• The Equalizer — Ruger
• 1985Turk 182! — Hanley
• 1985Назад у майбутнє — Mr. Strickland
• 1984Iceman — Maynard
• 1984The River — Howard Simpson
• Поліція Маямі — Mason Mather
• 1983Wings — Billy
• 1983Ігри у війну — Wigan
• American Playhouse — Billy
• 1982Author! Author! — Lt. Glass
• 1982Hanky Panky — Conferee
• Remington Steele — Norman Keyes
• Hill Street Blues
• 1981Prince of the City — George Polito
• 1981Вовчі — Baldy
• 1979Жах Амітивілля — Coroner
• 1976Independence — Tom Paine
• 1975Кохання і смерть — Napoleon
• 1973The Friends of Eddie Coyle — The Man's Contact Man
• 1973The Werewolf of Washington — Dark Glasses
• 1973Серпіко — Steiger
• 1971They Might Be Giants — Mr. Brown
• 1969Stiletto — Edwards
• 1966The Three Sisters
• Naked City — Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
• The Wonderful World of Disney — The Kennel Master

Ток-шоу, премії та інші появи (3)

• 2021Val — Self (archive)
• 2015Back in Time — Self
• 2010Tales from the Future — Self