James Tolkan, who played the slacker-hating Mr. Strickland in the Back to the Future films, the carrier air group commanding officer “Stinger” Jardian in Top Gun and who was part of the original Broadway cast of Glengarry Glen Ross during a 55-year film, TV and stage career, died Thursday in Saranac Lake, NY. He was 94.
The news was announced on the official Back to the Future website, which noted that Tolkan passed away peacefully but did not provide a cause.
Born on June 20, 1931, in Calumet, MI, Tolkan did a short stint in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War before going to acting school in New York City. He started out in local theater and eventually would appear in nine Broadway shows, notably playing salesman Dave Moss in the original cast of Glengarry Glen Ross in 1984-85.
Keep reading this article on DEADLINE.
