James Tolkan

Acting · Born 1931-06-20 in Calumet, Michigan, USA

Biography

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…

Filmography

• Back to the Future as Mr. Strickland
• Back to the Future Part II as Strickland
• Back to the Future Part III as Marshal Strickland
• WarGames as Wigan
• Top Gun as Stinger
• Love and Death as Napoleon
• Serpico as Steiger
• Family Business as Judge
• Boiling Point as Levitt
• Opportunity Knocks as Sal

TV

• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Dr. Oates
• Hill Street Blues
• The Wonder Years as Coach Silva
• Tales from the Crypt as Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap")
• Remington Steele as Norman Keyes
• The Pretender as FBI Special Agent Korkos
• Early Edition as Coach Philips
• Naked City as Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
• Cobra as Dallas Cassel
• The Equalizer as Ruger