James Tolkan
- Recitazione
- 20 giugno 1931 · Calumet, Michigan, USA
- 26 marzo 2026
Biografia
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).
Noto per
Filmografia
- Val · In persona
- Bone Tomahawk · Pianist
- Back in Time · In persona
- Phil Spector · Judge Fidler
- Tales from the Future · In persona
- Looking Back to the Future · In persona, Ringraziamenti
- Leverage - Consulenze illegali · Dean Chesny
- Heavens Fall · Thomas Knight, Sr.
- 7 Times Lucky · Dutch
- A Nero Wolfe Mystery · Special Agent In Charge Richard Wragg, Mr. Hackett
- Love in Ambush · Agent Price
- Robo Warriors · Quon
- Ultime dal cielo · Coach Philips
- Jarod il camaleonte · FBI Special Agent Korkos
- Underworld - Vendetta sotterranea · Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan
- Nowhere Man · Cyrus Quinn
- Identikit nel buio · Tonelli
- Beyond Betrayal · Joe Maloney
- Cobra · Dallas Cassel
- Limite estremo · Levitt
- Rischio di morte · Agent Sterling
- Doppio identikit · Tonelli
- The Hat Squad · Mike Ragland
- Piccola peste torna a far danni · Mr. Thron
- L'auto più pazza del mondo · Vince
- Hangfire - Uomini d’assalto · Patch
- Willy, il principe di Bel-Air · Dr. Oates
- Guns: A Day in the Death of America · Narrator
- Dick Tracy · Numbers
- Ritorno al futuro - Parte III · Marshal Strickland
- Sunset Beat · Ray Parker
- La fortuna bussa alla porta... il problema è farla entrare · Sal
- Sono affari di famiglia · Judge
- Ritorno al futuro - Parte II · Strickland
- Second Sight · Coolidge
- Undicesimo: la vendetta · Colonel Freeman
- I racconti della cripta · Sgt. McClaine ("segment "The Trap")
- True Blood · Det. Joseph Hanley
- Gli strangolatori della collina · Lt. Ed Henderson
- Question of Faith · Doctor Siegel
- Boxe · Benny Pistone
- Weekend War · Dr. Alex Thompson
- Blue Jeans · Coach Silva
- Viper · William Tansey
- Accadde in paradiso · Mr. Bjornstead
- I dominatori dell'universo · Lubic
- Little Spies · Kennel Master
- Pazzi da legare · Lou Brackman
- Top Gun · Stinger
- Un poliziotto fuori di testa · Harry
- Mary · Lester Mintz
- Flanagan · Turner
- Un giustiziere a New York · Ruger
- Ritorno al futuro · Mr. Strickland
- Turk 182! · Hanley
- Il fiume dell'ira · Howard Simpson
- Miami Vice · Mason Mather
- L'uomo dei ghiacci · Maynard
- WarGames - Giochi di guerra · Wigan
- Wings · Billy
- Mai dire sì · Norman Keyes
- Papà, sei una frana · Lt. Glass
- Hanky Panky - Fuga per due · Conferee
- American Playhouse · Billy
- Il principe della città · George Polito
- Wolfen - La belva immortale · Baldy
- Hill Street giorno e notte
- Amityville Horror · Coroner
- Independence · Tom Paine
- Amore e guerra · Napoleon
- Serpico · Steiger
- The Werewolf of Washington · Dark Glasses
- Gli amici di Eddie Coyle · The Man's Contact Man
- They Might Be Giants · Mr. Brown
- Un assassino per un testimone · Edwards
- The Three Sisters
- La città in controluce · Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
- The Wonderful World of Disney · The Kennel Master