Prolific, bald, blue-eyed character player of stage, film and TV with a crisp, precise delivery who convinces playing tough but honest cops and hard-ass authority figures. Though familiar to TV viewers from numerous guest shots ("The Wonder Years", "Hill Street Blues"), recurring roles ("Remington Steele") and stints as a regular on various short-lived series ("Mary", "The Hat Squad"), Tolkan may be best known for his relatively small supporting roles in two of the biggest blockbusters of 1980s Hollywood. In "Top Gun" (1986), he was the no-nonsense aircraft carrier commander who chastises Tom Cruise with a classic proclamation--"Maverick, your ego's writing checks your body can't cash!"--that was lifted word-for-word for parodistic purposes in the spoof "Hot Shots!" (1991). Tolkan proved so memorably formidable as the Vice Principal Strickland in Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future" (1985) that he came back to reprise the role for the sequel "Back to the Future II" (1989) and did a cameo as Marshal Strickland for the Western-themed "Back to the Future III" (1990).
A student of both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, Tolkan went on to numerous productions on and off Broadway as well as working on the London stage.
- Born:
June 20, 1931 in Calumet, Michigan, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Cattle truck driver, Railroad hand
Education
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University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, drama
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Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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Actors Studio, New York, New York
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Eastern Arizona College, Thatcher, Arizona
Milestones
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1931 Born in near poverty in northern Michigan
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1945 Moved to Chicago with his family at age 14 (date approximate)
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1946 Was working as a railroad hand by age 15 (date approximate)
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1965 Replaced Robert Duvall in Arthur Miller s A View From the Bridge on the New York stage
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1969 Feature debut, Stiletto , a gangster drama
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1983 Recreated his role from the Broadway production of Wings for PBS s American Playhouse presentation
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1984 Portrayed Dave Moss in the Broadway production of David Mamet s play, Glengarry Glen Ross
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1985 Debut as a TV series regular, Mary , a failed sitcom vehicle for Mary Tyler Moore (eliminated after three months when the show s format and time slot changed)
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1985 First played the role of Mr. Strickland in Robert Zemeckis Back to the Future
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1986 Widely seen as Stinger, a tough Naval commander who chastises Tom Cruise in Top Gun
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1989 Reprised the role of Strickland for Zemeckis s Back to the Future II
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1990 Cast as a regular on the short-lived (two episodes) series, Sunset Beat , about a special team of cops who pose as bikers
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1990 Portrayed Marshal Strickland in Back to the Future III
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Acted on stage with Al Pacino in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Jungle in the Cities
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Began studying with Stella Adler and won a two-year scholarship
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Cast as a regular on The Hat Squad , an eccentric crime series from executive producer/creator Stephen J Cannell
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Left Eastern Arizona College to serve in the US Navy
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Moved to NYC with $75 in his pocket after after graduating from the University of Iowa
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Moved with his mother to Tucson, Arizona
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Played the recurring role of insurance investigator Norman Keyes, the nemesis of Remington Steele , on the popular detective detective series
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Provided narration for several installments of America Undercover documentary specials on HBO
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Replaced Duvall in the Arthur Penn-directed Broadway production of Wait Until Dark when the actor broke his hip; continued in the role for two years
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Worked as a cattle truck driver before deciding to continue his higher education
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Worked with the Actors Studio for three years