American actor and director (died 2026)

James Tolkan

James Stewart Tolkan was an American character actor. He was best known for portraying the strict high school vice‑principal Mr. Strickland in Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part II (1989), and the character's ancestor, Marshal James Strickland, in Back to the Future Part III (1990). His other notable film credits included Serpico (1973), Love and Death (1975), Prince of the City (1981), Top Gun (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Viper (1988), Dick Tracy (1990), and Problem Child 2 (1991).

Born

1931

June 20

Died

2026

Era

1930s

Country

—

About

James, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1931 Born
2026 Died

Also on June 20

What else happened on this day, through history

451 Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
1180 First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan.
1295 The Treaty of Anagni, an attempt mediated by the papacy to end the War of the Sicilian Vespers, is signed by the crown of Aragon, the kingdom of France and kingdom of Naples.
1622 The Battle of Höchst takes place during the Thirty Years' War.

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The world in 1931

When James arrived

april 14 The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed and King Alfonso XIII goes into exile. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Francesc Macià proclaims the Catalan Republic.
april 17 After negotiations between Catalan and Spanish provisional governments, the Catalan Republic proclaimed in April 14 becomes the Generalitat de Catalunya, the autonomous government of Catalonia within the Spanish Republic.
august 24 Resignation of the United Kingdom's Second Labour Government. Formation of the UK National Government.
august 5 Judge and Nazi Party member Werner Best drews the Boxheim Documents, which described a violent takeover of the government by the NSDAP.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on June 20

Alexander Winton 1860– Scottish-American race car driver and engineer (died 1932) Billy Werber 1908–2009 American baseball player (born 1908) Charles W. Chesnutt 1858– American novelist and short story writer (died 1932) Danny Aiello 1933–2019 American actor (born 1933) Joan Kirner 1938–2015 Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (born 1938) Len Dawson 1935– American football player (died 2022) Paul Tiulana 1921–1994 Iñupiat artist and dancer (born 1921) Peter Gay 1923–2015 German-American historian, author, and academic (died 2015) Quinton Jackson 1978– American mixed martial artist and actor

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1931

Albert DeSalvo 1931– American serial killer known as the Boston Strangler (died 1973) Alex Delvecchio 1931–2025 Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2025) Allen Klein 1931–2009 American businessman and music publisher (died 2009) Bernard Francis Law 1931– Mexican-American cardinal (died 2017) Bob Johnson 1931–1991 American ice hockey player and coach (died 1991) Buddy Ryan 1931–2016 American football coach (died 2016) Cardiss Collins 1931–2013 American politician (born 1931) Cecil Parkinson 1931–2016 English politician (born 1931) Chalmers Johnson 1931–2010 American scholar and author (died 2010)

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Keep going

More to explore

James's birthday June 20 James's zodiac Gemini When James arrived 1931