Reginald Tate (13 December 1896 – 23 August 1955) was an English actor, veteran of many roles on stage, in films and on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

. He is remembered best as the first actor to play the

television science-fiction Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imagin ...

character Professor Bernard Quatermass, in the 1953

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced t ...

serial ''

The Quatermass Experiment ''The Quatermass Experiment'' is a British science fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television during the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells t ...

''.

Early life

Reginald Tate was born in

Garforth Garforth () is a town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It sits in the Garforth and Swillington ward of Leeds City Council and the Elmet and Rothwell parliamentary constituency. As of 2011, the popula ...

, near

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, and went to school in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

he served with the

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

and later with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

.Pixley, p. 6. He left the armed forces after the end of the war and studied acting at

Leeds College of Music Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populatio ...

and Drama. He made his first professional acting appearance at Leeds Art Theatre in 1922, and for the next four years was a resident performer both there and at the city's Little Theatre. In 1926, he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, with his first major role being in a production of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' at the Strand Theatre. He had particular success with the lead role of Stanhope in R. C. Sherriff's play ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry co ...

'', playing the part in a 1929 tour of Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and again for a 1934 revival production at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

in London.

Film and television career

He made his film debut in 1934 in ''Whispering Tongues'', and later in the decade also began to appear in the newer medium of television. On 11 November 1937, Tate appeared as Stanhope again in a production of ''Journey's End'' made by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

's fledgling

service, one of its earliest major drama productions.Vahimagi, pg. 8. His performance was praised by the television critic of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'' newspaper, who wrote that: "his performance asbrilliantly full of fiery disillusionment. It successfully dominated the stage—no easy matter when Osborne is played as well as Mr. Basil Gill played him." At the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he joined the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) ...

. He was given the rank of

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countrie ...

, and by the time his service came to an end in 1944 he had been promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

. He also continued to act during the war, and performed small roles in the well-known films ''

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' is a 1943 British romantic drama war film written, produced and directed by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. ...

'' (1943) and ''

The Way Ahead ''The Way Ahead'' (also known as ''Immortal Battalion'') (1944) is a British Second World War drama film directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov. The film stars David Niven, Stanley Holloway and Willi ...

'' (1944). He also had a top supporting role as the intelligence officer, Major Richards, in another classic British war movie, ''

The Next of Kin ''The Next of Kin'', also known as ''Next of Kin'', is a 1942 Second World War propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios. The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government message tha ...

'' (1942). After the end of the war he continued to perform for theatre and increasingly for television. He met the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the pro ...

Rudolph Cartier Rudolph Cartier (born Rudolph Kacser, renamed himself in Germany to Rudolph Katscher; 17 April 1904 – 7 June 1994) was an Austrian television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who worked predominantly in British television, excl ...

when Cartier cast him in his BBC production of ''It Is Midnight, Dr Schweitzer'' in February 1953. Cartier was impressed with Tate's performance, and later that year offered him the lead role in ''The Quatermass Experiment'', a science-fiction serial he was directing, written by BBC staff scriptwriter

Nigel Kneale Thomas Nigel Kneale (28 April 1922 – 29 October 2006) was a Manx screenwriter who wrote professionally for more than 50 years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Scr ...

. Tate was the second choice for the part of Professor Bernard Quatermass; Cartier had previously offered it to his co-star ''It Is Midnight, Dr Schweitzer'',

André Morell Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as ...

, who declined the role.Murray, pg. 28. Morell would later play Quatermass for the third instalment of the series, ''

Quatermass and the Pit ''Quatermass and the Pit'' is a British television science-fiction serial transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's ''Quatermass'' serials, although the chief character, Profe ...

''. Tate however was a success in the part, and in a 1986 interview Nigel Kneale named him as his favourite of all the actors to have played the character. The serial itself was also a success, with the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

later describing it as "one of the most influential series of the 1950s." Tate took an increased interest in television, and later in 1953 enrolled on the BBC's staff training course to become a

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon a ...

.Pixley, p. 15. He also began to spend much of his spare time teaching acting classes at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

(RADA), feeling that he had experience which might be useful to younger actors.

Death

When the BBC commissioned a second ''Quatermass'' serial in 1955, Tate was eager to participate and play the Professor again.Murray, p. 50. Production was due to begin in September, and on 7 August 1955 he produced his first television play, ''Night Was Our Friend''.Pixley, p. 17. Only sixteen days after this, late at night on 23 August, he collapsed outside his home in London. He had suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

, and despite being rushed to hospital in

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient pa ...

he died soon afterwards.

Selected filmography

* '' Tangled Evidence'' (1934) – Ellaby * '' Whispering Tongues'' (1934) – Alan Norton * '' The Riverside Murder'' (1935) – Hubert Perrin * ''

The Phantom Light ''The Phantom Light'' is a 1935 British crime film, a low-budget "quota quickie" directed by Michael Powell and starring Binnie Hale, Gordon Harker, Donald Calthrop, Milton Rosmer and Ian Hunter. The screenplay concerns criminals who try to sc ...

'' (1935) – Tom Evans * '' The Man Behind the Mask'' (1936) – Allan Hayden * '' Dark Journey'' (1937) – Mate of Q-Boat * '' For Valour'' (1937) – Chester * '' Too Dangerous to Live'' (1939) – Collins * '' Poison Pen'' (1939) – Rev. Rider * ''

It Happened to One Man ''It Happened to One Man'' is a 1940 British drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Wilfrid Lawson, Nora Swinburne and Marta Labarr. The screenplay was scripted by Paul Merzbach and Nina Jarcis, based on the play of the same name by J ...

'' (1940) – Ackroyd * ''

'' (1942) – Maj. Richards * ''

'' (1943) – van Zijl * ''

'' (1944) – The Training Company Commanding Officer * '' Madonna of the Seven Moons'' (1945) – Ackroyd * '' The Man from Morocco'' (1945) – Ricardi * '' Journey Together'' (1945) – Commanding Officer, Initial Training Wing * '' So Well Remembered'' (1947) – Trevor Mangin * '' Uncle Silas'' (1947) – Austin Ruthyn * ''

Noose A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...

'' (1948) – Editor * '' Diamond City'' (1949) – Longdon * ''

Midnight Episode ''Midnight Episode'' is a 1950 British thriller mystery film directed by Gordon Parry. It is based on the novel ''Monsieur La Souris'' written by Georges Simenon in the year 1938, and adapted for screen by Rita Barisse. It featured Stanley Ho ...

'' (1950) – Inspector Lucas * '' Secret People'' (1952) – Inspector Eliot * ''

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men ''The Story of Robin Hood'' is a 1952 action-adventure film produced by RKO- Walt Disney British Productions, based on the Robin Hood legend, made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin an ...

'' (1952) – Hugh Fitzooth * '' Escape Route'' (1952) – Colonel Wilkes * ''

Malta Story ''Malta Story'' is a 1953 British war film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, which is set during the air defence of Malta during the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the b ...

'' (1953) – Vice Adm Payne * '' King's Rhapsody'' (1955) – King Peter * ''Hotel Incident'' (1962) – Brown – the Commander (final film role)

Footnotes

References

* * *

External links

*
Quatermass.org.uk – Reginald Tate profile at the Nigel Kneale & Quatermass Appreciation Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Reginald 1896 births 1955 deaths English male television actors English male stage actors English male film actors People from Garforth Royal Air Force squadron leaders Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century English male actors Alumni of Leeds College of Music Northamptonshire Regiment soldiers Royal Flying Corps soldiers