James Tolkan, known for his roles in Top Gun and Back to the Future, dies aged 94 | US news

James Tolkan, known for his authoritarian roles in Back to the Future and Top Gun, has passed away. He was 94 years old.

Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, where he lived, booking agent John Alcantar said Saturday. A brief obituary published on the Back to the Future website stated that Tolkan died “peacefully” but did not specify a cause of death.

In Back to the Future, Tolkan played the bow-tie-wearing vice principal Gerald Strickland, who causes trouble for students in the halls of the fictional Hill Valley high school, particularly Marty McFly, played by Michael J Fox.

“You really have an attitude problem, McFly,” Tolkan’s character says in the 1985 movie. “You’re a slacker. You remind me of when your father came here. He was a slacker, too.”

Tolkan also appeared in Top Gun as commander Tom “Stinger” Jardian. Near the end of the film, when Jardian asks Tom Cruise’s character, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, about his choice of future assignment, Mitchell says he wants to be a Top Gun instructor.

Tolkan’s character laughs and replies, “God help us.”

Born in Calumet, Michigan, Tolkan served in the Navy during the Korean War and eventually made his way to New York, where he spent a quarter-century acting in theater roles. He was a member of the original cast of Glengarry Glen Ross.

Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles.