Nicholas John Tate (born 18 June 1942) is an Australian actor. He is known for his extensive film work as well as roles as pilot
Alan Carter in the 1970s science fiction series ''
Space: 1999'' and James Hamilton in the 1980s soap opera ''
Sons and Daughters''. He has also had a successful voiceover career in movie trailers, animation and video games.
Early life
Tate was born on 18 June 1942 in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. His parents were the actors
John Tate and
Neva Carr Glyn. His maternal grandparents were also actors, originally from Ireland and Great Britain, who performed in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
. His father, of Russian descent, also had a connection to the works of ''
Space: 1999'' creator
Gerry Anderson
Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...
, being a secondary voice actor in ''
Thunderbirds''.
Tate grew up amongst parties and opening nights and was often backstage while his parents performed in the theatre. He acted in all his school plays, before being scouted by the Sydney Opera Company to play Amahl in Menotti’s light opera ''
Amahl and the Night Visitors''.
At the age of 12, Tate's parents separated. That same year, as an avid surfer, he joined
Mona Vale Surf Lifesaving Club, where actor
Rod Taylor had been in the boat crew in the 1940s.
Career
Wanting to direct, Tate joined the
Australian Broadcasting Commission
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...
(ABC), which was preparing for the start of
television in Australia
Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisb ...
. A television role as the singing telegram boy in
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...
’s ''
The Skin of Our Teeth'' prompted Tate to quit school. He graduated from studio hand to assistant director, while working on a variety of series. In 1964, he joined an actors' workshop because his interest had turned to acting but, unsure of what direction to take, he joined the Australian commandos for a year. Eventually, his surfing skills afforded him a lead role as a surfer in the thriller miniseries ''
The Purple Jacaranda''.
Tate's big break came with a lead role in the award-winning Australian television series ''
My Brother Jack
''My Brother Jack'' is a classic 1964 Australian novel by writer George Johnston. It is part of a trilogy centering on the character of David Meredith. The other books in the trilogy are '' Clean Straw for Nothing'' and '' A Cartload of Clay''. ...
'', followed by a stage production of the musical ''
The Canterbury Tales
''The Canterbury Tales'' () is a collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The book presents the tales, which are mostly written in verse, as part of a fictional storytelling contest held ...
'', in which he played 'Nicholas the Gallant' for eighteen months on tour throughout the country. That was followed by the 1970 Australian television series ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others.
H ...
'' about a rich, powerful family, where he joined his father
John Tate for the first time on screen – the two playing father and son.
Tate portrayed astronaut Alan Carter in the British science fiction series ''
Space: 1999'', which was broadcast from 1975 to 1977, though the series began production in late 1973. In 1976, he broke through in film with an
AACTA award-winning role in the movie ''
The Devil's Playground''. He continued to work in film with supporting roles in a number of theatrical films, including ''
The Year My Voice Broke'',
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer.
Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...
's ''
Cry Freedom
''Cry Freedom'' is a 1987 epic biographical drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, set in late-1970s apartheid-era South Africa. The screenplay was written by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods. ...
'', ''
Return from the River Kwai'', ''
Evil Angels'', and
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
's ''
Hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
''. From 1985 to 1986, he portrayed James Hamilton in the Australian soap opera ''
Sons and Daughters''.
Tate has also made guest appearances on numerous American TV shows, such as ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
''; ''
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''; ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (in the 1990 episode "
Final Mission"); ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''; ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (in the 1998 episode "
Honor Among Thieves"); ''
Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American Science fiction on television, science fiction television series conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment, originally for the Nine Network. It prem ...
'' and in the ''
Lost'' episode "
Tabula Rasa
''Tabula rasa'' (; Latin for "blank slate") is the idea of individuals being born empty of any built-in mental content, so that all knowledge comes from later perceptions or sensory experiences. Proponents typically form the extreme "nurture" ...
".
On stage, Tate appeared in the TRIP (
Tony Rud Ingrid Pitt Productions) stage production of ''Duty Free'' (later known as ''Don't Bother to Dress''), by ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...
'' writer Neville Siggs, which ran from 1976 to 1977 at the
Bristol Hippodrome. In 2006, he played the leading role of
Captain Edward J. Smith in the Australian premiere of the musical ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
''.
Tate is also known for his voice-over work in Hollywood theatrical trailers, for such films as ''
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'', ''
Braveheart
''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American epic film, epic historical drama, historical war drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who portrays Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against Edward I of Engl ...
'', ''
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...
'', ''
Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
'', ''
Deep Impact'', ''
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
'', ''
GoldenEye
''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...
'', ''
Tomorrow Never Dies
''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay ...
'', ''
The World Is Not Enough
''The World Is Not Enough'' is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent Jam ...
'', ''
Double Jeopardy
In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare cases ...
'' and ''
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American adventure comedy film, animated adventure comedy film based on the television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by series creator Stephen Hill ...
'', and clip-on bumpers for
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony.
Background
SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...
from 2005–2006. He has also voiced commercials for
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota, Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked amon ...
,
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...
and
HP, and
Guinness
Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
beer spots airing from 2006. Tate and four other well-known voice artists (
Don LaFontaine
Donald LeRoy LaFontaine (August 26, 1940 – September 1, 2008) was an American voice actor who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers over fou ...
, John Leader,
Mark Elliot, and Al Chalk) parodied their individual voice-over styles ''en route'' to an awards show in a 1997 short film, ''
5 Men and a Limo''. He has also performed voice-over work in various video games, including the voice for the Australian tycoon
Ozzie Mandrill in the 2000 game ''
Escape from Monkey Island''.
Personal life
Tate married Hazel Butterfield at
Dulwich College Chapel, UK in September 1977, and their son Thomas was born in 1979. They moved to Australia in 1981, where they had a second child, Jessie Josephine, in 1986. Through Tom and Jessie, they have three grandchildren.
Tate also has a keen interest in technical drawing and carpentry, and has designed and built seven of his family homes.
Awards
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Stage
References
External links
*
*
Nick Tateat Voice Chasers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Nick
1942 births
Living people
20th-century Australian male actors
21st-century Australian male actors
Australian male film actors
Australian male television actors
Australian male video game actors
Australian male voice actors
Australian people of British descent
Australian people of Irish descent
Australian people of Russian descent
Best Actor AACTA Award winners
Male actors from Sydney