James Tolkan, the iconic star of Back to the Future, has passed away at the age of 94.
Supporters of Back to the Future are grieving the loss of a beloved cast member. James Tolkan, who starred in the movies as Gerard Strickland, passed away on March 26, his representative told USA Today. He was ninety-four.
"The news is sadly true about James," John Alcantar, Tolkan's representative, informed the press. "James was a beloved professional who lived a good, full life."
Tolkan's death was confirmed after the franchise's company official website announced his passing. There was no stated cause of death.
Tolkan's most well-known role was in the Back to the Future trilogy, where he portrayed the strict vice principal of Hill Valley High School in both the 1985 film and the 1989 sequel alongside Michael J. Fox, Christpher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson. His career spanned more than five decades, starting with an outstanding 25-year theater run. He reappeared as his character's grandfather in the third movie.
Fox honored his co-star's life after learning of his passing.
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“RIP the great James Tolkan. You were definitely no slacker,” in allusion to one of the late actor's most famous lines from the movies, he posted on Instagram Stories on March 27. “Grateful to know you, act with you, and direct you in Tales from the Crypt.”
Fox went on to say, “I’ll miss you pal.”
Tolkan, who is survived by his wife Parmelee, was well-known not just for the cult classic franchise but also for playing Commander Tom Jardian with Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, and other actors in Tony Scott's 1986 action movie Top Gun.
“It was very special because everybody felt right from the beginning that we were going to be a success and we were,” in a 2012 interview, Tolkan discussed his time spent working on the movie, later joked that “Tony Scott the director had me smoking a big cigar for so long that I did turn green in front of the camera one day. But I recovered.”
The WarGames actor considered the enduring legacy of the movies he had worked on before he passed away.
“It’s absolutely amazing. We’re talking about movies we did more than 30 years ago,” in a 2019 interview at the New Jersey Horror Con & Film Festival, Tolkan stated, “and people are still interested and coming back and they show their interest.”
The Love and Death actor, however, stated that he is most proud of his theatrical beginnings, particularly as an original cast member of Glengarry Glen Ross, despite having been able to perform in some of Hollywood's most famous movies.
“I enjoy doing movies but it’s not really my forte but I certainly enjoy it,” he clarified. “I’ve been very lucky.”
