Actor James Tolkan, known for his roles as a cigar-chomping naval commander in “Top Gun” and a stern high school principal in “Back to the Future,” has died. He was 94 years old.
Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, where he lived, his booking agent, John Alcantar, said Saturday. A brief obituary posted on the “Back to the Future” website indicated that Tolkan died “peacefully,” but the cause of death was not disclosed.
In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan played bow-tie-wearing vice principal Gerald Strickland, who watched students for trouble in the hallways of the fictional Hill Valley High School; particularly Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox.
“You’ve got a real attitude problem, McFly,” Tolkan’s character says in the 1985 film. “You’re lazy. You remind me of your dad when I was a student here. He was lazy, too.”
Tolkan also appeared in “Top Gun” as commanding officer Tom “Stinger” Jardian. Near the end of the film, when Jardian asks Tom Cruise’s character, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, about his choice for his next assignment, Mitchell responds that he wants to be a Top Gun instructor.
“God help us,” Tolkan’s character responds, laughing.
Born in Calumet, Michigan, Tolkan graduated from high school in Arizona and served in the Navy during the Korean War. He eventually came to New York, where he spent a quarter of a century acting in theater roles. He was a member of the original cast of “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles, who said in a statement that her husband was also an avid art collector and adored animals.
