James Stewart Tolkan (born June 20, 1931) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Mr. Strickland in ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...

'' (1985) and ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film '' Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ...

'' (1989), and as Marshall Strickland in '' Back to the Future Part III'' (1990). Other memorable film roles include ''

Love and Death ''Love and Death'' is a 1975 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It is a satire on Russian literature starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Boris and Sonja, Russians living during the Napoleonic Era who engage in mock-serious ...

'' (1975), '' Top Gun'' (1986), '' Masters of the Universe'' (1987) and '' Dick Tracy'' (1990).

Early life

Tolkan"Miss Welles Wed to Actor"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. August 29, 1971. was born in Calumet, Michigan, the son of Dale Nichols and Ralph M. Tolkan, a cattle dealer. He attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associatio ...

, the Actors Studio and

Eastern Arizona College Eastern Arizona College (EAC), is a community college in Graham County, Arizona. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County, and Greenlee County. It is the oldest community college in Arizona and the only community ...

. Tolkan served in the US Navy onboard the USS ''Sandoval'', but he had an issue with his heart; within a year, he was discharged for medical reasons.

Career

Tolkan is known for his role in the 1985 film ''

'' as the strict Hill Valley High School assistant principal, Gerald Strickland; the character refers to

Marty McFly Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox in all three films. McFly also appears in the animated series, where he was voice ...

, his father, and

Biff Tannen Biff Howard Tannen is a fictional character and a major antagonist in the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. Thomas F. Wilson plays Biff in all three films as well as the Universal Studios ride, and voiced the character in the animated series. Biff ...

derisively as "slackers". He reprised the role in the 1989 sequel ''

'', in which unnamed gang members make a drive-by assault on him in a dystopian 1985; he also refers to these criminals as "slackers" as he shoots 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 again reprise his role as Strickland, and the character's ancestors and descendants, in the 1991

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

spin-off. Other well-known roles include an FBI agent in ''

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follow ...

'' and Stinger, the no-nonsense commanding officer of 's embarked F-14 squadron 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 ''Prince of the City'' is a 1981 American neo-noir crime drama film directed and co-written by Sidney Lumet. The film follows Daniel Ciello, an officer of the New York Police Department who chooses, for idealistic reasons, to expose corruption ...

''. He played the obsequious and evasive union treasurer Lou Brackman in 1986’s '' Armed and Dangerous''. He appeared in the 1987 film '' Masters of the Universe'' as Detective Lubic. He had a dual role in the

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

comedy ''

'', playing both

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and a look-alike. He appeared as Big Boy Caprice's accountant "Numbers" in the 1990

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

film '' Dick Tracy''. He appeared in ''

Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...

'' (1973) in a small but notable role as a policeman who loudly accuses Officer Serpico of having a homosexual encounter with another policeman in a men's room. Tolkan has made guest appearances on many TV shows, including '' Naked City'', ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from O ...

'', ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...

'' and ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

''. A member of the repertory cast of ''

A Nero Wolfe Mystery ''Nero Wolfe'' is a television series adapted from Rex Stout's series of detective stories that aired for two seasons (2001–2002) on A&E. Set in New York City sometime in the 1940s–1950s, the stylized period drama stars Maury Chaykin as N ...

'' (2001–02), he played more than a dozen varied roles in the A&E TV series and also directed two episodes ("

Die Like a Dog "Die Like a Dog" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella written by American writer Rex Stout, first published as "The Body in the Hall" in the December 1954 issue of ''The American Magazine''. It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection ...

" and "

The Next Witness "The Next Witness" is a Nero Wolfe Mystery fiction, mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published as "The Last Witness" in the May 1955 issue of ''The American Magazine''. It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection ''Three Witness ...

").

Filmography

Actor

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolkan, James 1931 births Living people University of Iowa alumni Eastern Arizona College alumni American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Michigan People from Calumet, Michigan Nero Wolfe 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors