James Tolkan

Acting

James Tolkan

Born — Died

1931-06-20 — 2026-03-26

Place of birth

Calumet, Michigan, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

91 titles

Fiery, forceful and intimidating character actor James Tolkan carved out a nice little niche for himself in both movies and television alike as a formidable portrayer of fierce and flinty hard-boiled tough guy types. James Stewart Tolkan was born on June 20, 1931 in Calumet, Michigan. His father, Ralph M. Tolkan, was a cattle dealer. James attended the University of Iowa, Coe College and Eastern Arizona College. After serving a year-long stint in the United States Navy, Tolkan went to New York and studied acting with both Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Actors Studio. Short and bald, with beady, intense eyes, a wiry, compact, muscular build, a gruff, jarring, high-decibel voice, and a…

Known for

Miami Vice poster
7.4

The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking and prostitution, centered on the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - who first meet when Tubbs is undercover in a drug cartel.

Miami Vice

1984

Hill Street Blues poster
7.6

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

Hill Street Blues

1981

Back to the Future poster
8.3

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

Back to the Future

1985

The Wonder Years poster
8.3

The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.

The Wonder Years

1988

American Playhouse poster
6.6

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

American Playhouse

1982

Remington Steele poster
7.1

Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.

Remington Steele

1982

Film credits

2010s · 4 titles

1990s · 15 titles

Back to the Future Part III poster
7.5

The final installment finds Marty digging the trusty DeLorean out of a mineshaft and looking for Doc in the Wild West of 1885. But when their time machine breaks down, the travelers are stranded in a land of spurs. More problems arise when Doc falls for pretty schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and Marty tangles with Buford Tannen.

Back to the Future Part III

1990

Problem Child 2 poster
6.0

Junior and his father, Ben, move from Cold River to Mortville. Junior becomes threatened by Ben's desire to date again and find a new mother for Junior, and sabotages each of his dates.

Problem Child 2

1991

Dick Tracy poster
6.2

The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.

Dick Tracy

1990

Boiling Point poster
4.9

Red is an aging scam-artist who's just been released from prison together with Ronnie, a young and not-so-bright hoodlum who is easily manipulated. Their new business is to organize fake-money sales and then kill the buyer to take his money; but when Ronnie kills an undercover secret service agent, his partner Jimmy Mercer vows revenge and is given one week to catch the killers before being transferred.

Boiling Point

1993

Robo Warriors poster
5.5

The year is 2036 and Earth has been invaded: hope lies with the last Robo Warrior - a towering fighting machine.

Robo Warriors

1996

Bloodfist IV: Die Trying poster
5.3

When Danny unknowingly repossesses the car of a powerful arms merchant, it sets off a chain of violent retaliation. After his friends are killed and his daughter is kidnapped, Danny takes matters into his own hands. It does not matter that the CIA and the FBI are also involved the Dragon's fire is in his fists!

Bloodfist IV: Die Trying

1992

Underworld poster
5.3

A crook sets out to get revenge on the thugs who hurt his father in this bloody noir-style crime drama. After being released from prison, Johnny Crown goes after Frank, one of the mobsters involved in a series of Father's Day killings. But Johnny isn't certain Frank is responsible for his father's injuries and seeks help from a sex therapist to make sure he's got the right man.

Underworld

1996

Opportunity Knocks poster
5.6

Eddie and Lou are a couple of two-bit con men on the lam from a loan shark. They hide out in someone's house and they hear on the answering machine that (A) the owner of the house is out of the country for a month or two and (B) the housesitter supposed to watch the house for the absent owner won't be able to watch the house due to a new job in another part of the country. This provides for a pretty nifty arrangement for Eddie and Lou...until the relatives of the house owner drop by to visit. Eddie quickly adopts the guise of the person supposedly housesitting for the owner, and the shenanigans start from there.

Opportunity Knocks

1990

Sketch Artist poster
5.3

A sketch artist for the police helps a witness recall who she saw leaving the scene of a murder, and discovers that the person is his wife. Not willing to believe she was responsible, he resketches the pictures so they don't look like her, and he begins his own investigation of the murder.

Sketch Artist

1992

Sketch Artist II: Hands That See poster
6.0

Police sketch artist Jack Whitfield helps blind rape victim Emmy describe her attacker – a serial rapist and murderer who is now out to get her.

Sketch Artist II: Hands That See

1995

Driving Me Crazy poster
3.9

An eccentric East German inventor and defector travels to Los Angeles, California to sell a prototype revolutionary new car that runs on vegetables and produces no pollution, but he runs into one madcap situation after another to find a buyer and financier for mass production.

Driving Me Crazy

1991

Hangfire poster
4.7

When a large group of escaped convicts take Ike Slayton, a Vietnam veteran's wife hostage, Slayton enlists the help of his old army friend in a furious search to find her, while a hard-nosed National Guardsman leads a platoon of solders determined to kill or capture all the convicts, even if it means killing all the hostages in the crossfire.

Hangfire

1991

Beyond Betrayal poster
6.5

Joanne is married to Bradley, a cop who abuses her. One day she decides to run away and meets Sam, who has marital difficulties of his own. Bradley evetually tracks Joanne down, which leads to the death of Sam's wife.

Beyond Betrayal

1994

Guns: A Day in the Death of America poster
7.0

The harrowing account of every death by handgun which occurs in America during a randomly chosen 24-hour period.

Guns: A Day in the Death of America

1990

Love in Ambush poster
9.0

An Australian woman searches for her soldier brother in Cambodia during the civil breakdown from which Pol Pot would emerge.

Love in Ambush

1997

1980s · 27 titles

Back to the Future poster
8.3

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

Back to the Future

1985

Back to the Future Part II poster
7.8

Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.

Back to the Future Part II

1989

Top Gun poster
7.1

For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.

Top Gun

1986

WarGames poster
7.1

High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

WarGames

1983

Masters of the Universe poster
5.9

When He-Man is driven from Eternia after Skeletor seizes Castle Grayskull, a stolen portal device strands the fight on Earth, where a pair of teenagers become entangled in a war that spans worlds.

Masters of the Universe

1987

Prince of the City poster
7.0

New York City detective Daniel Ciello agrees to help the United States Department of Justice eliminate corruption in the police department, as long as he will not have to turn in any close friends. In doing so, Ciello uncovers a conspiracy within the force to smuggle drugs to street informants.

Prince of the City

1981

The River poster
6.4

Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.

The River

1984

Wolfen poster
5.9

A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.

Wolfen

1981

Family Business poster
5.7

Jessie is an aging career criminal who has been in more jails, fights, schemes, and lineups than just about anyone else. His son Vito, while currently on the straight and narrow, has had a fairly shady past and is indeed no stranger to illegal activity. They both have great hope for Adam, Vito's son and Jessie's grandson, who is bright, good-looking, and without a criminal past.

Family Business

1989

Iceman poster
6.2

A team of Arctic researchers find a 40,000 year-old man frozen in ice and bring him back to life. Anthropologist Dr. Stanley Shephard wants to befriend the Iceman and learn about the man's past while Dr. Diane Brady and her surgical team want to discover the secret that will allow man to live in a frozen state.

Iceman

1984

Armed and Dangerous poster
5.7

After policeman Frank Dooley is framed for theft and loses his job on the force, he joins a security guard agency and teams up with inept former defense lawyer Norman Kane. When the two botch a job guarding a local warehouse, they begin to uncover corruption within the company and their union.

Armed and Dangerous

1986

Hanky Panky poster
5.3

Naïve Michael Jordon is drawn into a web of government secrets when a girl carrying a mysterious package gets into a taxi with him. When she's later murdered, Michael becomes the chief suspect and goes on the run.

Hanky Panky

1982

Author! Author! poster
6.0

A broadway playwright is burning the candle at both ends. He is dealing with pressure from a production nearing premiere, a wife who is leaving him, and 5 children 4 of which belong to her.

Author! Author!

1982

Made in Heaven poster
6.5

Deceased drifter Mike arrives in Heaven and quickly falls for newborn soul Annie, soon to start her assignment on Earth. When Annie leaves, Mike follows.

Made in Heaven

1987

Off Beat poster
4.7

Joe Gower's job is skating through library shelves, fetching books. A police officer/friend of his is chosen to participate in a charity dance performance. Gower agrees to take his place in the show by posing as a police officer. He falls for a female officer in the show and gets into various scrapes with fellow cops and also crooks. And he dances.

Off Beat

1986

Second Sight poster
4.4

Wills is an ex-cop who pairs up with Bobby, a wacky psychic, to form the "Second Sight Detective Agency." Bobby's clairvoyant abilities come in handy during their investigations. When a nun recruits them for a case involving car theft, they suddenly find themselves dealing with the abduction of a prominent cardinal who has a chance of becoming the next pope. Bobby's psychic powers go haywire as they pursue the case.

Second Sight

1989

True Blood poster
5.9

Teenager Ray Trueblood is wrongfully accused of murdering a police officer after his fellow gang member Billy Masters does the deed. Hoping to elude the police, he flees Brooklyn, NY and joins the U.S. Marines. Returning 10 years later, Trueblood is dismayed to learn that his younger brother Donny is now running with a gang led by Masters. Trueblood soon finds himself depending on his military training & experience to protect his friends and family from the ruthless Masters.

True Blood

1989

Split Decisions poster
5.1

When a boxer is killed because he wouldn't take a dive, his brother tries to find a way to avenge him even if only symbolically.

Split Decisions

1988

The Case of the Hillside Stranglers poster
6.5

The chilling true story of the "two of a kind" killing cousins, Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, better known as the Hillside Stranglers.

The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

1989

Turk 182! poster
5.9

After New York City firefighter Terry Lynch is unable to receive any compensation for an injury incurred during the off-duty rescue of a young girl, he grows suicidal. Furious, his brother Jimmy attempts to have Mayor Tyler intervene, but the corrupt politician instead denounces Terry as a drunk. Determined to get justice, Jimmy begins a graffiti campaign of embarrassing slogans mocking the mayor, which soon captivates the city.

Turk 182!

1985

Little Spies poster
6.5

When a runaway stray dog is rescued by the local neighborhood kids, they discover a nearby gang is involved.

Little Spies

1986

Wings poster
8.0

An elderly woman, a former aviatrix, is gradually recovering from a stroke.

Wings

1983

Ministry of Vengeance poster
3.8

David Miller is a Vietnam vet who renounced violence and became a minister after he was forced to blow up a Viet Cong kid in self defense, but years later, when David's wife Gail and daughter Kim are killed by a group of terrorists led by Ali Aboud, in a massacre at an airport in Rome, Italy, David is devastated. Going against his faith, David sets out to find and kill Ali Aboud.

Ministry of Vengeance

1989

Viper poster
4.4

After Laura's husband James is murdered, she decides to find out who did it and why. She finds herself in a fight against an anti-terrorist organization in her desire for revenge.

Viper

1988

Question of Faith poster
9.0

A woman struck down by terminal cancer shuns conventional medical techniques at her husband's insistence and turns to alternative treatment to combat the disease.

Question of Faith

1988

Flanagan poster
10.0

Aging New York cabbie Flanagan still has hopes of making it as a stage actor. He can recite any Shakespeare sonnet and is facile with accents, but he can't land an agent or a job. During the course of one summing-it-all-up day, he drives his cab around the city dealing with fare evaders, an insolent stage manager determined to keep him from auditioning for his choice director, his estranged wife who has a new lover, his mistress who seems awfully close to her "drawing teacher", and two teenage sons whose bright visions of the future don't seem to include jobs. If he can only cope with all the annoyances of this day, maybe he can deal with the limitations in his abilities and his future.

Flanagan

1985

Weekend War poster
3.7

A group of reservists ("weekend warriors") are sent to Honduras to build a runway. Shortly after arriving an engineering group is sent to a small village to repair a bridge as a favor for the US Ambassador; at this point Captain John Deason begins to question who he is really building the bridge for...

Weekend War

1988

1970s · 7 titles

Serpico poster
7.5

New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

Serpico

1973

The Friends of Eddie Coyle poster
7.2

An aging hood is about to go back to prison. Hoping to escape his fate, he supplies information on stolen guns to the feds, while simultaneously supplying arms to his bank robbing chums.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

1973

Love and Death poster
7.5

In czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.

Love and Death

1975

The Amityville Horror poster
6.3

George Lutz, his wife Kathy, and their three children have just moved into a beautiful, and improbably cheap, Victorian mansion nestled in the sleepy coastal town of Amityville, Long Island. However, their dream home is concealing a horrific past and soon each member of the Lutz family is plagued with increasingly strange and violent visions and impulses.

The Amityville Horror

1979

They Might Be Giants poster
6.9

After the death of his wife, retired judge Justin Playfair creates a fantasy world for himself in which he is the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, even dressing like the character. Out of concern for Justin's money more than his health, his brother Blevins puts him under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Mildred Watson. As Dr. Watson grows fond of Justin, she begins to play along with his theories, eventually becoming an assistant in his investigations.

They Might Be Giants

1971

The Werewolf of Washington poster
3.9

After being unknowingly inflicted with the bite of a werewolf while on a visit to Europe, White House press secretary Jack Whittier begins to turn into a deadly beast by night, terrorizing Washington D.C. and presenting a very deadly threat to the President.

The Werewolf of Washington

1973

Independence poster
7.5

John Huston directs this film giving relevance and life to the hallowed buildings and ground making up Independence National Historical Park. Through vignettes, the people and events are re-created for the present-day visitor. Featuring Eli Wallach as Benjamin Franklin.

Independence

1976

1960s · 2 titles

Series credits

Miami Vice poster
7.4

The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking and prostitution, centered on the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - who first meet when Tubbs is undercover in a drug cartel.

Miami Vice

1984

Hill Street Blues poster
7.6

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

Hill Street Blues

1981

The Wonder Years poster
8.3

The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.

The Wonder Years

1988

American Playhouse poster
6.6

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

American Playhouse

1982

Remington Steele poster
7.1

Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.

Remington Steele

1982

The Equalizer poster
7.2

Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private crime fighting operation where he fashions himself as "The Equalizer." It is a service for victims of the system who have exhausted all possible means of seeking justice and have nowhere to go. McCall promises to even out the odds for them.

The Equalizer

1985

The Pretender poster
7.4

Raised in a secret facility built for experimenting on children, Jarod is a genius who can master any profession and become anyone he has to be. When he realizes as an adult that he's actually a prisoner and his captors are not as benevolent as he's been told, he breaks out. While trying to find his real identity, Jarod helps those he encounters and tries to avoid the woman sent to retrieve him.

The Pretender

1996

Naked City poster
5.7

Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic “semi-documentary” format. In 1997, the episode “Sweet Prince of Delancey Street” was ranked #93 on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time”.

Naked City

1958

Leverage poster
7.6

A five-person team comprised of a thief, a grifter, a hacker, and a retrieval specialist, led by former insurance investigator Nathan Ford, use their skills to fight corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens.

Leverage

2008

Early Edition poster
7.4

Gary Hobson thinks he may even be losing his mind when tomorrow's newspaper mysteriously arrives today giving him a disconcerting look into the future. What will he do with tomorrow's news?

Early Edition

1996

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air poster
7.9

Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

1990

Tales from the Crypt poster
8.0

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

Tales from the Crypt

1989

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

A Nero Wolfe Mystery poster
8.0

Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

2001

Nowhere Man poster
7.8

Thomas Veil is a documentary photographer who, in the course of one evening, seemingly has his whole existence erased...

Nowhere Man

1995

The Wonderful World of Disney poster
7.9

Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.

The Wonderful World of Disney

1954

The Hat Squad poster
6.8

The Hat Squad is a crime drama television series that ran for only one season on CBS, during the 1992–1993 season. 13 episodes were made, but only 11 of them aired.

The Hat Squad

1992

Cobra poster
6.6

Cobra is an American action-adventure series broadcast in syndication from 1993 to 1994. Starring Michael Dudikoff as former Navy SEAL Robert 'Scandal' Jackson, who joins a secret crime-fighting organization. Despite a action-packed premise, it struggled to find an audience and was canceled after one season.

Cobra

1993

Mary poster
7.3

No synopsis available yet.

Mary

1985

Sunset Beat poster
9.0

A team of Los Angeles cops goes undercover posing as motorcycle bikers to nail street crime and other disorder in town.

Sunset Beat

1990