LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK — Actor James Tolkan died on Thursday in Lake Placid, New York. He was 94 years old at the time of his death.

Tolkan was known for his roles as an authoritarian figure in the Back to the Future and Top Gun films. No cause of death was given.

John Alcantar, Tolkan's booking agent, said that Tolkan died peacefully in Lake Placid. A brief obituary on the Back to the Future website said he died "peacefully".

In Back to the Future (1985), he portrayed vice-principal Gerald Strickland, who monitored students at Hill Valley High School. In Top Gun (1986), he appeared as commanding officer Tom "Stinger" Jardian.

Tolkan was born on June 20, 1931, in Calumet, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.

After his military service, he moved to New York, where he spent a quarter century acting in theater roles. He studied acting at The Actors Studio in New York with Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. He was a member of the original ensemble cast of the play Glengarry Glen Ross.

His career spanned more than five decades. His first television credit was in a 1960 series. His last screen credit was the 2015 film Bone Tomahawk.

He had roles in films including WarGames, Stiletto, Abduction, They Might Be Giants, The Amityville Horror, Off Beat, and Armed and Dangerous.

He also had roles in television shows including Leverage, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, The Pretender, Early Edition, Nowhere Man, Cobra, and The Wonder Years.

Tolkan attended Coe College and the University of Iowa. He is survived by his wife, Parmelee Welles. He was married for 54 years.