Back To The Future Icon Dies At 94

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 49 seconds ago

If you’ve ever watched a movie that has that familiar actor you recognize as the trusty supporting character from many other movies, you’re looking at a character actor; we typically identify them as “oh, that guy from ____!” One of the most classic such characters is Principal Strickland from the Back to the Future movies, best known for finding Marty McFly’s music so loud that he has to cover his ears.

James Tolkan, the character actor who brought that role to life, has died. He was 94.

How James Tolkan Got His Start

Tolkan started acting in 1960, but throughout the decade, his roles were sporadic as he tried to find his footing in the industry. The 1970s brought more roles, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that he really started to become established by his trademark baldness and distinctive facial features. He was featured in a number of cameo roles, starting with The Amityville Horror in 1979, in which he played the coroner.

Soon after followed the roles he is most iconic for: Wargames’ Wigan, Back to the Future’s Principal Strickland, and Top Gun’s Stinger. These were the most prominent of many appearances in films throughout the 1980s, establishing him as a recognizable face, “that guy,” even if few know his name. He was also in Masters of the Universe and Dick Tracy, as well as both of the Back to the Future sequels.

Life After Strickland Fame

Tolkan kept appearing in movies and television shows in the 1990s, but slowed his output in 2000, when he was already almost 70. He did make seven more movie appearances between 2000 and 2024, most notably a cameo as the pianist in the critically acclaimed Bone Tomahawk.

His wife, Parmelee, was a prop girl in a 1971 off-Broadway production in which he appeared. They’ve been married ever since that year, and she survives him. Not many marriages get to last that long, even outside of Hollywood, but especially within an industry where everyone’s private life is not-so-private.

Tolkan was also a supporter of animal rescue. An obituary on the official Back to the Future website asks fans to make a donation to their favorite shelter or the Humane Society in his name. Known for playing hardasses, Tolkan was known as a kind and loving man off-screen.

James Tolkan’s name may not be well-known, but his face was, and his characters are embedded in cinema culture. That is its own form of immortality, as the movies he was in have brought joy to generations and will continue to for many more.