Often cast as a strict, overbearing, bald-headed authority figure, Tolkan currently lives in Lake Placid, New York. Other well-known films include WarGames (1983, John Badham), playing a fanatic FBI agent; and the box office hit Top Gun (1986, Tony Scott), where he uttered the famous line "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash". He also appeared in the film Masters of the Universe (1987, Gary Goddard), as a hard-nosed police detective who eventually fights Skeletor's forces.