James Tolkan
Age: N/A | From: Calumet, Michigan, USA
Person Details
Birthday:
Aliases: James Tolkin , Jim Tolkan , James S. Tolkan , James B. Tolkan , James Stewart Tolkan , Джеймс Толкан
Gender: Male
Place of birth: Calumet, Michigan, USA
Homepage:
Movie Involvements: 37
TV Involvements: 7
Most Famous Work
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 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).
Most Famous Work
The Equalizer
(1985) Ruger
Naked City
(1958) Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk
Nowhere Man
(1995) Commander Cyrus Quinn
Top Gun
(1986) Cmdr. Tom 'Stinger' Jardian
The Hat Squad
(1992) Mike Ragland
The Pretender
(1996) FBI Special Agent Korkos
WarGames
(1983) Wigan
The Amityville Horror
(1979) CoronerActing
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mr. Strickland (archive footage) | |
| 2021 | Self (archive footage) | |
| 2015 | Pianist | |
| Self | ||
| 2013 | Judge Fidler | |
| 2010 | Self | |
| 2009 | Self | |
| 2008 | Dean Chesny | |
| 2006 | Thomas Knight, Sr. | |
| 2004 | Dutch | |
| 2001 | Richard Wragg | |
| Mr. Hackett | ||
| 1997 | Quon | |
| 1996 | N/A | |
| FBI Special Agent Korkos | ||
| Dan 'Iceberg' Eagan | ||
| 1995 | Commander Cyrus Quinn | |
| Tonelli | ||
| 1993 | Dallas Cassel | |
| Levitt | ||
| 1992 | Agent Sterling | |
| Mike Ragland | ||
| Tonelli | ||
| 1991 | Mr. Thron | |
| Vince | ||
| Patch | ||
| 1990 | Dr. Oates | |
| Marshal Strickland | ||
| Numbers | ||
| Sal | ||
| 1989 | Judge | |
| Strickland | ||
| Coolidge | ||
| Colonel Freeman | ||
| Sgt. McClaine | ||
| Det. Joseph Hanley | ||
| Lt. Ed Henderson | ||
| 1988 | Doctor Siegel | |
| Benny Pistone | ||
| Dr. Alex Thompson | ||
| Coach Silva | ||
| William Tansey | ||
| 1987 | Mr. Bjornstead | |
| Detective Lubic | ||
| 1986 | Kennel Master | |
| Lou Brackman | ||
| Cmdr. Tom 'Stinger' Jardian | ||
| Harry | ||
| 1985 | Lester Mintz | |
| Turner | ||
| Ruger | ||
| Mr. Strickland | ||
| Hanley | ||
| 1984 | Howard Simpson | |
| N/A | ||
| Maynard | ||
| 1983 | Wigan | |
| 1982 | Norman Keyes | |
| Lt. Glass | ||
| Conferee | ||
| 1981 | George Polito | |
| Baldy | ||
| N/A | ||
| 1979 | Coroner | |
| 1975 | Napoleon | |
| 1973 | Steiger | |
| Dark Glasses | ||
| The Man's contact man | ||
| 1971 | Mr. Brown | |
| 1969 | Edwards | |
| 1966 | N/A | |
| 1958 | Evan Humbolt, Mail Clerk | |
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
Crew
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Thanks | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Production
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Producer | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
