Nick Tate

Tate was born on 18 June 1942 in Sydney, New South Wales. 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. His father, of Russian descent, also had a connection to the works of Space: 1999 creator Gerry Anderson, 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 (ABC), which was preparing for the start of television in Australia. A television role as the singing telegram boy in Thornton Wilder’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, followed by a stage production of the musical The Canterbury Tales, 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 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. There were plans to replace Alan Carter for Space: 1999s second series, but examination of the fan mail showed he was one of the show's most popular characters, so Tate was retained through the end of its run. In 2006, he played the leading role of Captain Edward J. Smith in the Australian premiere of the musical Titanic. Tate is also known for his voice-over work in Hollywood theatrical trailers, for such films as Jurassic Park, Braveheart, ''Schindler's List, Austin Powers, Deep Impact, Independence Day, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Double Jeopardy and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and clip-on bumpers for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment from 2005–2006. He has also voiced commercials for Lexus, Kodak and HP, and Guinness beer spots airing from 2006. Tate and four other well-known voice artists (Don LaFontaine, 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 role of antagonist Prince Xizor in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, and the voice for the Australian tycoon Ozzie Mandrill in 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==

Film Television Video games ==Stage==