James Tolkan

Acting

James Tolkan

Born June 20, 1931 · Calumet, Michigan, USA

Died March 26, 2026 · aged 94

Fiery, forceful and intimidating character actor James Tolkan 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 …

Known For

Back to the FutureBack to the Future · 1985
Back to the Future
8.31985
MovieAdventureComedy
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
Masters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe · 1987
Masters of the Universe
5.81987
MovieActionFantasy
When the evil Skeletor finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible, seizing Castle Grayskull and the surrounding city. The Sorceress is now Skeletor's prisoner and he begins to drain her life-force as he waits for the moon of Eternia to align with the Great Eye of the Universe which will bestow god-like power upon him. However, courageous warrior He-Man locates the locksmith inventor Gwildor, who created the Key and has another version of it. During a battle, one of the Keys is transported to Earth, where it is found by teenagers Julie and Kevin. Now, both He-Man and Skeletor's forces arrive on Earth searching for the potent weapon.
Top GunTop Gun · 1986
Top Gun
7.11986
MovieActionDrama
For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.
Back to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part II · 1989
Back to the Future Part II
7.81989
MovieAdventureComedy
Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.
Back to the Future Part IIIBack to the Future Part III · 1990
Back to the Future Part III
7.51990
MovieAdventureComedy
The final installment finds Marty digging the trusty DeLorean out of a mineshaft and looking for Doc in the Wild West of 1885. But when their time machine breaks down, the travelers are stranded in a land of spurs. More problems arise when Doc falls for pretty schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and Marty tangles with Buford Tannen.
WarGamesWarGames · 1983
WarGames
7.11983
MovieDramaScience Fiction
High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.
Dick TracyDick Tracy · 1990
Dick Tracy
6.21990
MovieAdventureComedy
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
Armed and DangerousArmed and Dangerous · 1986
Armed and Dangerous
5.71986
MovieActionComedy
After policeman Frank Dooley is framed for theft and loses his job on the force, he joins a security guard agency and teams up with inept former defense lawyer Norman Kane. When the two botch a job guarding a local warehouse, they begin to uncover corruption within the company and their union.

Movies

Back to the FutureBack to the Future · 1985
Back to the Future
8.31985
MovieAdventureComedy
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
Masters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe · 1987
Masters of the Universe
5.81987
MovieActionFantasy
When the evil Skeletor finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible, seizing Castle Grayskull and the surrounding city. The Sorceress is now Skeletor's prisoner and he begins to drain her life-force as he waits for the moon of Eternia to align with the Great Eye of the Universe which will bestow god-like power upon him. However, courageous warrior He-Man locates the locksmith inventor Gwildor, who created the Key and has another version of it. During a battle, one of the Keys is transported to Earth, where it is found by teenagers Julie and Kevin. Now, both He-Man and Skeletor's forces arrive on Earth searching for the potent weapon.
Top GunTop Gun · 1986
Top Gun
7.11986
MovieActionDrama
For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.
Back to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part II · 1989
Back to the Future Part II
7.81989
MovieAdventureComedy
Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.
Back to the Future Part IIIBack to the Future Part III · 1990
Back to the Future Part III
7.51990
MovieAdventureComedy
The final installment finds Marty digging the trusty DeLorean out of a mineshaft and looking for Doc in the Wild West of 1885. But when their time machine breaks down, the travelers are stranded in a land of spurs. More problems arise when Doc falls for pretty schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and Marty tangles with Buford Tannen.
WarGamesWarGames · 1983
WarGames
7.11983
MovieDramaScience Fiction
High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.
Dick TracyDick Tracy · 1990
Dick Tracy
6.21990
MovieAdventureComedy
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
Armed and DangerousArmed and Dangerous · 1986
Armed and Dangerous
5.71986
MovieActionComedy
After policeman Frank Dooley is framed for theft and loses his job on the force, he joins a security guard agency and teams up with inept former defense lawyer Norman Kane. When the two botch a job guarding a local warehouse, they begin to uncover corruption within the company and their union.
Bone TomahawkBone Tomahawk · 2015
Bone Tomahawk
6.92015
MovieDramaHorror
During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. The doctor's assistant, wife of the local foreman, tends to him in prison. That night, the town is attacked and they both disappear—only the arrow of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and the foreman's wife.
WolfenWolfen · 1981
Wolfen
6.01981
MovieHorrorThriller
A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.
The Amityville HorrorThe Amityville Horror · 1979
The Amityville Horror
6.31979
MovieHorror
George Lutz, his wife Kathy, and their three children have just moved into a beautiful, and improbably cheap, Victorian mansion nestled in the sleepy coastal town of Amityville, Long Island. However, their dream home is concealing a horrific past and soon each member of the Lutz family is plagued with increasingly strange and violent visions and impulses.
Problem Child 2Problem Child 2 · 1991
Problem Child 2
5.91991
MovieComedyFamily
Junior and his father, Ben, move from Cold River to Mortville. Junior becomes threatened by Ben's desire to date again and find a new mother for Junior, and sabotages each of his dates.
IcemanIceman · 1984
Iceman
6.21984
MovieScience Fiction
A team of Arctic researchers find a 40,000 year-old man frozen in ice and bring him back to life. Anthropologist Dr. Stanley Shephard wants to befriend the Iceman and learn about the man's past while Dr. Diane Brady and her surgical team want to discover the secret that will allow man to live in a frozen state.
SerpicoSerpico · 1973
Serpico
7.51973
MovieCrimeDrama
New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
Made in HeavenMade in Heaven · 1987
Made in Heaven
6.51987
MovieRomanceComedy
Deceased drifter Mike arrives in Heaven and quickly falls for newborn soul Annie, soon to start her assignment on Earth. When Annie leaves, Mike follows.
Author! Author!Author! Author! · 1982
Author! Author!
5.91982
MovieComedyDrama
A broadway playwright is burning the candle at both ends. He is dealing with pressure from a production nearing premiere, a wife who is leaving him, and 5 children 4 of which belong to her.
Question of FaithQuestion of Faith · 1988
Question of Faith
9.01988
MovieDramaTV Movie
A woman struck down by terminal cancer shuns conventional medical techniques at her husband's insistence and turns to alternative treatment to combat the disease.
Off BeatOff Beat · 1986
Off Beat
4.81986
MovieComedy
Joe Gower's job is skating through library shelves, fetching books. A police officer/friend of his is chosen to participate in a charity dance performance. Gower agrees to take his place in the show by posing as a police officer. He falls for a female officer in the show and gets into various scrapes with fellow cops and also crooks. And he dances.
UnderworldUnderworld · 1996
Underworld
5.31996
MovieDramaAction
A crook sets out to get revenge on the thugs who hurt his father in this bloody noir-style crime drama. After being released from prison, Johnny Crown goes after Frank, one of the mobsters involved in a series of Father's Day killings. But Johnny isn't certain Frank is responsible for his father's injuries and seeks help from a sex therapist to make sure he's got the right man.
Driving Me CrazyDriving Me Crazy · 1991
Driving Me Crazy
3.81991
MovieComedy
An eccentric East German inventor and defector travels to Los Angeles, California to sell a prototype revolutionary new car that runs on vegetables and produces no pollution, but he runs into one madcap situation after another to find a buyer and financier for mass production.
Family BusinessFamily Business · 1989
Family Business
5.71989
MovieCrimeDrama
Jessie is an aging career criminal who has been in more jails, fights, schemes, and lineups than just about anyone else. His son Vito, while currently on the straight and narrow, has had a fairly shady past and is indeed no stranger to illegal activity. They both have great hope for Adam, Vito's son and Jessie's grandson, who is bright, good-looking, and without a criminal past.
Tales from the FutureTales from the Future · 2010
Tales from the Future
6.12010
MovieDocumentary
Eight-part retrospective documentary on the making of "Back to the Future" (and its two sequels) for the film's 25th anniversary.
The RiverThe River · 1984
The River
6.41984
MovieDrama
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Love and DeathLove and Death · 1975
Love and Death
7.51975
MovieComedyHistory
In czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.

TV Shows

Miami ViceMiami Vice · 1984
Miami Vice
7.41984
SeriesCrimeDrama
The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking and prostitution, centered on the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - who first meet when Tubbs is undercover in a drug cartel.
The Wonder YearsThe Wonder Years · 1988
The Wonder Years
8.31988
SeriesComedyDrama
The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.
The EqualizerThe Equalizer · 1985
The Equalizer
7.11985
SeriesCrime
Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private crime fighting operation where he fashions himself as "The Equalizer." It is a service for victims of the system who have exhausted all possible means of seeking justice and have nowhere to go. McCall promises to even out the odds for them.
Hill Street BluesHill Street Blues · 1981
Hill Street Blues
7.61981
SeriesDramaCrime
A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.
Naked CityNaked City · 1958
Naked City
5.71958
SeriesDramaCrime
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic “semi-documentary” format. In 1997, the episode “Sweet Prince of Delancey Street” was ranked #93 on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time”.
Remington SteeleRemington Steele · 1982
Remington Steele
7.11982
SeriesDramaFamily
Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.
LeverageLeverage · 2008
Leverage
7.62008
SeriesDramaComedy
A five-person team comprised of a thief, a grifter, a hacker, and a retrieval specialist, led by former insurance investigator Nathan Ford, use their skills to fight corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens.
Early EditionEarly Edition · 1996
Early Edition
7.41996
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
Gary Hobson thinks he may even be losing his mind when tomorrow's newspaper mysteriously arrives today giving him a disconcerting look into the future. What will he do with tomorrow's news?
Tales from the CryptTales from the Crypt · 1989
Tales from the Crypt
8.01989
SeriesComedyMystery
Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?
The PretenderThe Pretender · 1996
The Pretender
7.41996
SeriesDramaMystery
Raised in a secret facility built for experimenting on children, Jarod is a genius who can master any profession and become anyone he has to be. When he realizes as an adult that he's actually a prisoner and his captors are not as benevolent as he's been told, he breaks out. While trying to find his real identity, Jarod helps those he encounters and tries to avoid the woman sent to retrieve him.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air · 1990
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
7.91990
SeriesComedyFamily
Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.
American PlayhouseAmerican Playhouse · 1982
American Playhouse
6.61982
SeriesDramaComedy
American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.
The Wonderful World of DisneyThe Wonderful World of Disney · 1954
The Wonderful World of Disney
7.91954
SeriesAnimation
Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.
Nowhere ManNowhere Man · 1995
Nowhere Man
7.81995
SeriesMysteryDrama
Thomas Veil is a documentary photographer who, in the course of one evening, seemingly has his whole existence erased...
A Nero Wolfe MysteryA Nero Wolfe Mystery · 2001
A Nero Wolfe Mystery
7.92001
SeriesDramaComedy
Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.
The Hat SquadThe Hat Squad · 1992
The Hat Squad
6.81992
SeriesDramaCrime
The Hat Squad is a crime drama television series that ran for only one season on CBS, during the 1992–1993 season. 13 episodes were made, but only 11 of them aired.
CobraCobra · 1993
Cobra
6.61993
Series
Cobra is an American action-adventure series broadcast in syndication from 1993 to 1994. Starring Michael Dudikoff as former Navy SEAL Robert 'Scandal' Jackson, who joins a secret crime-fighting organization. Despite a action-packed premise, it struggled to find an audience and was canceled after one season.
MaryMary · 1985
Mary
7.31985
SeriesComedy
Sunset BeatSunset Beat · 1990
Sunset Beat
9.01990
SeriesDrama
A team of Los Angeles cops goes undercover posing as motorcycle bikers to nail street crime and other disorder in town.