James Tolkan, ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Top Gun’ actor, dead at 94

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James Tolkan, ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Top Gun’ actor, dead at 94
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He’s survived by his wife, Parmelee, whom he met on the 1971 off-Broadway set of “Pinkville” where James worked as an actor and Parmalee worked as a prop girl. The pair later tied the knot in Lake Placid in 1971.

Tiger Woods' girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, and daughters not involved in car crash: sourceWell-known for his memorable disdain for “slackers” as vice principal Mr. Strickland in the original “Back to the Future,” he appeared in the role one more time in 1989’s “Back to the Future: Part II,” and as Strickland’s grandfather in “Back to the Future Part III” in 1990. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Michigan born actor was also featured in films including “Top Gun” , “The Amityville Horror” , “Serpico” , “WarGames” , “Masters of the Universe” , “True Blood” and “Opportunity Knocks” , among many others.His TV credits included stints on “The Wonder Years” in 1990, the 1960 TV series “Naked City” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” , among many others.“In 1956, I got on a Greyhound bus out of Iowa City, I had 75 dollars in my pocket,” he recalled to “Reality of Wrestling” at the time. “I didn’t know a soul in New York.” Nonetheless, the determined young Tolkan went to the Big Apple “to be an actor.” It was a gamble that paid off. “Oh my God, I didn’t know I was getting into when I arrived in New York,” he divulged, noting that he was “scared to death” and that he had to “find some place to live” and that his “money ran out.”Strickland once reflected on the “challenging” start to his acting career in New York City.“In some way or another, I’m a success,” he said. He’s seen here in a still from “Masters of the Universe” with Chelsea Field and Dolph Lundgren.While Tolkan admitted that being a “bus boy on Central Park South” was “challenging at first,” he also called it “the greatest time of life.” “It was full of promise and possibilities,” he said.“I’ve experienced so many things positive and negative,” he said, noting that because of his early struggles getting on his feet as an actor, he was “enjoying the good life.”Everything Page Six editors are buying during Amazon’s Spring Sale, from a ‘magic’ moisturizer to Kyle Richards’ go-to sports braPeter Alexander is leaving NBC after years of being passed over for top anchor jobs: source Family photographer exposes reality of Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal children's 'not normal' upbringingPaige DeSorbo says these $9 bracelets look ‘really expensive’ Everything Page Six editors are buying during Amazon’s Spring Sale, from a ‘magic’ moisturizer to Kyle Richards’ go-to sports braGetty ImagesStrickland once reflected on the"challenging" start to his acting career in New York City."In some way or another, I'm a success," he said. He's seen here in a still from"Masters of the Universe" with Chelsea Field and Dolph Lundgren. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo

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