Iconic Actor Known For 'Back To The Future,' 'Top Gun' Dies At 94

Actor James Tolkan, known for his iconic roles in the classic 1980s movies “Top Gun” and Back to the Future,” has died.

Tolkan, 94, died peacefully Thursday in upstate New York, where he lived, according to his booking agent, John Alcantar, and an obituary on the “Back to the Future” website.

Known to many as the bow tie-wearing vice principal Gerald Strickland in “Back to the Future” and commanding officer Tom “Stinger” Jardian in “Top Gun,” Tolkan also spent 25 years in the New York theater scene and was part of the original cast of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” the obituary said.

He was born in Calumet, Michigan, but graduated high school in Tucson, Arizona, then had a short career in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and stops at three colleges, the obituary said. He eventually traveled to New York , where he was a dock worker and studied acting, according to the obituary. He met his wife, Parmelee, on the set of the off-Broadway play “Pinkville” in 1971, Variety reported.

While his most widely known roles came in the 1980s, he continued to work until well into the 2010s, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, according to IMDb.

He is survived by his wife, the obituary said, adding he loved animals and any donations in his memory should be made to local animal shelters, rescue organizations or Animal Humane Society chapters.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.