2010 Festival Personalities


Bob Gale

BOB GALE

With friend and frequent collaborator Robert Zemeckis, Gale co-wrote and co-produced “Back to the Future,” which was the No. 1 U.S. box office attraction in 1985 and earned Gale an Oscar nomination for the screenplay. Gale went on the write both “Back to the Future” sequels. Gale’s collaborations with Zemeckis also include the 1978 film about Beatlemania, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” and the 1980 comedy “Used Cars,” which starred Kurt Russell and Jack Warden. Gale’s first directorial project was a 1993 episode of HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt.” The 2003 film “Interstate 60” marked Gale’s theatrical debut as a director. The film starred James Marsden, and the cast included Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Amy Smart, Chris Cooper, Ann-Margret and Michael J. Fox and Kurt Russell in special guest appearances.
In addition to his work in film, Gale has worked extensively in the comic book genre. His credits include writing long story arcs for “Batman” and “Daredevil,” and as a member of Marvel’s Spider-man Brain Trust, he is a major contributor to the “Spiderman” franchise. Gale wrote six issues of “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 2008 and will write a “Spider-Man” digital comics series for Marvel.com in 2009.


James Tolkan

JAMES TOLKAN

Tolkan has played many tough film characters, including the strict, intimidating principal Strickland in the “Back to the Future” films. Other notable films include “Top Gun,” “War Games,” “Masters of the Universe,” “Dick Tracy” and Woody Allen’s “Love and Death,” in which he took on the roles of both Napoleon and a Napoleon look-alike.
Tolkan’s many television appearances include such diverse shows as “Naked City” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He played multiple roles in more than a dozen episodes of “A Nero Wolfe Mystery” and also directed two episodes of the series.
After college, Tolkan, a native of Calumet, Mich., studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Actors Studio. In addition to his work in film and television, he has performed in many stage productions, including “Wait Until Dark,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Macbeth.”
Tolkan and his wife, Parmelee, live in Lake Placid, N.Y., where they are active supporters of the arts and where James plays with the Saranac Lake Pool League.


Claudia WellsCLAUDIA WELLS

Wells was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and grew up in San Francisco, where she studied opera and dance, performing both for the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Dance Theatre before turning her attention to acting. She studied at the famed American Conservatory Theatre. Wells is well known for her role as Jennifer Parker, Marty McFly’s girlfriend in “Back to the Future." Wells earned co-starring roles in the 1980s comedy Series “Off the Rack” and “Fast Times” and has appeared in such shows as “Family,” “Simon and Simon,” "Trapper John, M.D.” and “Fame.” Most recently, she starred in the 2008 Indie film “Still Waters Burn.” Wells lives in the Los Angeles area with her son Sebastian. She owns her own clothing business called Armani Wells, located in Studio City.