James Tolkan

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).
    Known for
    Acting
    Place of birth
    Calumet, Michigan, USA
    Birthday
    6/20/1931
Opportunity Knocks
Opportunity Knocks
5.7
Viper
Viper
3
Seven Times Lucky
Seven Times Lucky
6.2
True Blood
True Blood
6.313
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers
6.385
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II
7.753
Iceman
Iceman
6.1
Heavens Fall
Heavens Fall
7.231
Hangfire
Hangfire
5
Second Sight
Second Sight
4.429
Weekend War
Weekend War
2
Ministry of Vengeance
Ministry of Vengeance
3
Phil Spector
Phil Spector
5.685
Robo Warriors
Robo Warriors
5.3
Flanagan
Flanagan
0
Question of Faith
Question of Faith
0
Split Decisions
Split Decisions
5.024
The River
The River
6.211
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
7
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe
5.665
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
5.6
Turk 182!
Turk 182!
5.8
Driving Me Crazy
Driving Me Crazy
3.65
Underworld
Underworld
5.176
Boiling Point
Boiling Point
5.01
Sketch Artist
Sketch Artist
5.568
Little Spies
Little Spies
6.4
Back to the Future
Back to the Future
8.313
Problem Child 2
Problem Child 2
5.816
Prince of the City
Prince of the City
7.067
Bone Tomahawk
Bone Tomahawk
6.8
Off Beat
Off Beat
4.6
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III
7.466
Family Business
Family Business
5.638
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See
6.136
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
6.131
Back in Time
Back in Time
6.534
Tales from the Future
Tales from the Future
7.8
Top Gun
Top Gun
7.046
WarGames
WarGames
7.068
Author! Author!
Author! Author!
5.8
Stiletto
Stiletto
5.3
Hanky Panky
Hanky Panky
5.234
Wolfen
Wolfen
5.93
The Werewolf of Washington
The Werewolf of Washington
3.896
The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror
6.28
Serpico
Serpico
7.544
Armed and Dangerous
Armed and Dangerous
5.6
Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven
6.731
The Three Sisters
The Three Sisters
0
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
7.3
Looking Back to the Future
Looking Back to the Future
8
Val
Val
7
Love and Death
Love and Death
7.557
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