James Tolkan, Back to the Future and Top Gun Actor, Dies at 94

James Tolkan, Back to the Future and Top Gun Actor, Dies at 94 Southeast Asia Home Amazon Deals Pro-tips by Codashop PC PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Mobile Entertainment EsportsMoreSearch Home More About IGN SEAContactAdvertisePressUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyRSSIGN Southeast Asia is operated under license by Media Prima Digital Sdn Bhd (199901014126) Change Region United States United Kingdom Australia Africa Adria Serbian/Croatian Adria Slovenian Benelux / Dutch Brazil China / 中国 Czechia / Slovakia France Germany Greece / Ελλάδα Hungary India Israel Italy / Italia Japan / 日本 Korea / 한국 Latin America Middle East – English Middle East – الأوسطالشرق Nordic Poland Portugal Southeast Asia Spain / España Turkey / Türkiye world.ign.com Register / Login Register / Login Login Register back-to-the-future James Tolkan, Back to the Future and Top Gun Actor, Dies at 94 He played Marty McFly's slacker-hating nemesis Principal Strickland. This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. By Jim Vejvoda  Updated: March 28, 2026, 8:24 a.m. Related reads:MapleStorySEA Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Massive Summer Updates Character actor James Tolkan, best known for playing no-nonsense authority figures who chewed out Michael J. Fox and Tom Cruise, respectively, in Back to the Future and Top Gun, died Thursday at age 94.More like thisOpen Back Headphones: A Sound Experience Like No OtherTolkan played Stanford S. Strickland, the stern principal of Hill Valley High, in Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II. He returned for Back to the Future Part III as Strickland’s ancestor James Strickland, the Marshal of Hill Valley in 1885.In the 1985 original, Strickland famously went nose-to-nose with Fox’s Marty McFly after issuing him a detention slip and warning him to stay away from Doc Brown. James Tolkan. (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Variety via Getty Images)“You’ve got a real attitude problem, McFly, You’re a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too,” Strickland barked. “You’re too much like your old man. No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley.”Tolkan followed Back to the Future with 1986’s Top Gun where he portrayed Tom “Stinger” Jardian, the Commander of the USS Enterprise. Stinger’s berating of Cruise’s Maverick included such memorable lines as “Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash!” and “You screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong!”According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tolkan passed away in Saranac Lake, New York. He was born in Calumet, Michigan on June 20, 1931 and began his acting career in theater after serving in the US Navy.Tolkan’s other film credits include Dick Tracy, Serpico, Prince of the City, Wolfen, WarGames, Masters of the Universe, The Amityville Horror, Opportunity Knocks, Family Business, Boiling Point, and Bone Tomahawk.His many TV credits include Miami Vice, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Remington Steele, The Equalizer, Hill Street Blues, Tales from the Crypt, The Wonder Years, and David Mamet’s 2013 telefilm Phil Spector. Related reads:Save 43% Off Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy (Includes Both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray Discs) This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. In This Article