Other memorable film roles include Love and Death (1975), Top Gun (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), and Problem Child 2 (1991).

[6] Tolkan is known for his role in the 1985 film Back to the Future as the strict Hill Valley High School principal, Gerald Strickland; the character refers to Marty McFly, his father, and Biff Tannen derisively as "slackers".

Other well-known roles include an FBI agent in WarGames and Stinger, the no-nonsense commanding officer of USS Enterprise's embarked F-14 squadron in the 1986 box-office hit Top Gun.

Tolkan has made guest appearances on many TV shows, including The Hat Squad, Naked City, Remington Steele, Miami Vice and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

[8] A member of the repertory cast of A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–02), he played more than a dozen varied roles in the A&E TV series and also directed two episodes[7] ("Die Like a Dog" and "The Next Witness").