James Tolkan, Back to the Future’s Mr. Strickland, Dead at 94

Born in Calumet, Michigan in 1931, George Tolkan joined the Navy after graduating high school. He moved to New York City in 1956 with just $75 and began studying acting at the Actors Studio under Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. Tolkan’s early work included television appearances and Broadway roles, such as an episode of Naked City and as an understudy for Robert Duvall in the first Broadway production of Wait Until Dark. He eventually took over the role of Harry Roat in Wait Until Dark, but Alan Arkin played the part in the 1967 film version. Later, in 1984, Tolkan performed as Dave Moss in the Broadway production of Glengarry Glen Ross, a role later played by Ed Harris in the 1992 film.








