Tate Donovan was born Tate Buckley Donovan on September 25, 1963 in Tenafly, New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles and attended USC where he met several fellow actors like Grant Heslov and George Clooney, who have become his longtime friends. As a teenager, he appeared on several television shows. His big break came in 1990 when he was cast as a charismatic but self-centered co-pilot in the memorable period film,
Memphis Belle.
Donovan is also a talented musician who plays the fiddle and the hand-held Irish drum, the bodhran. He also belongs to a band called The Decadents and their CD is entitled “Wake Amusements”. But he has had more success in his acting career, starting out early with
SpaceCamp in 1986 and
Clean and Sober in 1988. This was followed by roles in
Dead Bang,
Little Noises,
Love Potion No. 2 and
Equinox. In 1995, he appeared on the TV series
Partners, but became more known for his appearances on
Ally McBeal and
Friends.
Aside from acting, he’s also voiced the character Hercules in the Disney animated film and series. Other roles of his include those in the short-lived drama
Trinity,
Murder at 1600,
October 22 and
Godzilla: The Series. He was also in the movie
Swordfish, before being known for his guest stints on
The O.C. and
Mister Sterling. In 2005, he starred in
The Pacifier and voiced characters for the video game
Kingdom Hearts II. He played Carson Drew on the movie version of
Nancy Drew, as well as playing lawyer Tom Shayes on the series
Damages. In 2010, Donovan joined the cast of the ABC show
No Ordinary Family, where he portrays a mysterious pilot.
In addition to film and television, he has starred on several stage productions. He was in Kenneth Lonergan’s
Lobby Hero and in the Los Angeles production of
Rabbit Hole. He has also several Broadway credits, including
Picnic and
Amy’s View.
In 2013, Donovan stars in the NBC drama
Deception.