James Tolkan, ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Top Gun’ Actor, Dead at 94

James Tolkan, best known for his authoritarian roles in the Back to the Future franchise and Top Gun , died on Thursday. He was 94. His death was announced on the Back to the Future website, which stated he died peacefully in Saranac Lake, New York. Tolkan’s prolific career spanned five decades and he appeared on Broadway, film, and television.

Born in Calumet, Michigan, in 1931, Tolkan graduated from Amphitheater High School in 1949. Following a short career in the navy during the Korean War, and stints at three colleges, he got on a bus for New York City. With just $75 in his pocket, Tolkan landed in a cold water flat where the rent equaled his VA check. As he worked on the docks, Tolkan studied acting under the guidance of Stella Adler and Lee Strasburg, going on to spend 25 years in New York theater.

He moved his career to California and Canada in 1983 and would land his most memorable film roles as the “slacker”-barking Mr. Strickland in Back to the Future (1985) for director Robert Zemeckis,...