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Actor James Tolkan of 'Top Gun, 'Back to the Future' Fame Dies
James Tolkan was known for roles as strict authority figures in classic films and had a 25-year New York theatre career, surviving at age 94 by his wife of 54 years.
- Actor James Tolkan, known for playing stern authority figures in Top Gun and Back to the Future, died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, at age 94, his booking agent John Alcantar said.
- Tolkan gained fame portraying commanding officer Tom Stinger Jardian in Top Gun and vice principal Gerald Strickland at Hill Valley High School, roles that defined his career as an authoritarian figure.
- Born in Calumet, Michigan, Tolkan served in the Navy during the Korean War before spending 25 years acting in New York theater, including the original cast of Glengarry Glen Ross.
- A website for his film work reported Tolkan died 'peacefully,' though no cause was given; he is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles.
- Beyond his 1980s classics, Tolkan appeared in the 1987 film Masters of The Universe as Detective Lubic and held a role in Warren Beatty's 1990 film Dick Tracy.
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American actor James Tolkan, best known for his roles as a naval commander in the spectacle Top Gun and a gruff high school principal in the comedy Back to the Future, has died. He was 94.
Ator was the vice-director of Strickland in Robert Zemeckis's saga and Commander Tom “Stinger” Jardian next to Tom Cruise in the classic films of the 1980s. He died "peaceably" in New York.
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Total News Sources25
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center14Last UpdatedBias Distribution78% Center
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78% Center
L 17%
C 78%
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