Back to the Future star James Tolkan dies at 94
James Tolkan, who starred in Back to the Future and Top Gun, died on Thursday, March 26. He was 94 years old.The late actor, who played Mr. Strickland in the first two Back to the Future films, before appearing as his character's grandfather in the third, passed away "peacefully" at his home in Saranac Lake, New York.His passing was announced on the official Back to the Future website, although his cause of death has not yet been disclosed.James is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee, and three nieces. He met Parmelee on the set of the 1971 off-Broadway play Pinkville, where he starred, and she worked as a prop girl. They married that year in Lake Placid.The star spent 25 years in New York Theater after studying acting with both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.James did several movie roles while still based in New York City, including Prince of the City (1981), for director Sidney Lumet. He also worked with Sidney on Serpico (1973) and Family Business (1989).He moved his career to California and Canada in 1983 when he was cast in WarGames.His most memorable film roles were as Mr. Strickland in the Back to the Future trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990) and as Tom Cruise's CO Tom 'Stinger' Jardian in Top Gun (1986). He had a dual role in Woody Allen's Love and Death (1975), as Napoleon and his look-alike.James appeared in numerous films and TV shows through 2011, including The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), The Amityville Horror (1979), Wolfen (1981), Masters of the Universe (1987), True Blood (1989), Opportunity Knocks (1990), and Dick Tracy (1990).James was born on June 20, 1931, in Calumet, Michigan. At age 14, he cycled through Chicago after his parents divorced and wound up in Tucson, Arizona, where he graduated from Amphitheater High School in 1949. After a short Navy career during the Korean War and stints at three colleges, including Coe College and the University of Iowa, he got on a bus for New York City with $75.00 in his pocket. He went to work on the docks before enrolling at The Actors Studio.James' death comes shortly after fellow Back to the Future star, Matt Clark, passed away aged 89 on March 15, following complications from back surgery.The star broke his back several months ago and passed away at his home in Austin, Texas, his wife, Sharon, confirmed.Matt was best known for his scene-stealing role in Back to the Future Part III, in which he portrayed Chester the Bartender alongside Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Mary Steenburgen.
