Alan Dale
Alan Dale | |
---|---|
Caleb Nichol (TV series) as Dr. John Forest | |
Spouses | Claire Dale
(m. 1968; div. 1979)Tracey Pearson (m. 1990) |
Children | 4 |
Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequently moved to Australia, where he played Dr. John Forrest in The Young Doctors from 1979 to 1982. He later appeared as Jim Robinson in Neighbours, a part he played from 1985 until 1993. He left the series when he fell out with the producers over the pay he and the rest of the cast received. In 2018, it was revealed that Dale would reprise his role as Jim for one episode of Neighbours, 25 years after his last appearance.
After leaving Neighbours, Dale found he had become
Early life and work
"When I was 27, I started to get really jumpy and thought, what could I do that would give me the same buzz rugby did? Acting was what came to mind. I told my first wife, 'Look, I really can't stand it any more. I'm going to have to go and be an actor'."
— Dale on why he turned to acting professionally.[1]
Dale was born on 6 May 1947 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.[2][3] One of four children, Dale enjoyed his childhood, but his family was relatively poor.[1] Growing up in New Zealand without televisions, Dale loved the theatre and amateur dramatics.[4] His first performance was for a school concert, at the age of 13, doing an impression of comedian Shelley Berman. After moving northwards, his parents became founding members of an amateur theatre in Auckland called "The Little Dolphin Theatre". Dale often operated the stage equipment used to produce weather effects,[1][2]
Dale was a skilled rugby player, but opted to move into drama instead because "the acting fraternity didn't like footballers and the footballers didn't like actors. [...] Acting gave me the same buzz and there was the chance of a longer career."[4] He gave up rugby at the age of 21 because it was not considered a workable career at the time, and he had to support his family.[1] Acting roles were limited in New Zealand so Dale worked in multiple jobs, including as a male model,[5] a car salesman and a realtor.[4] While working as a milkman he heard the disc jockey at his local radio station resign during a broadcast. Dale went over to the station and told the managers he could do a better job. They gave him a trial and then signed him up for the afternoon show.[4] At the age of 27, he decided to become a professional actor.[1]
Acting career
Early roles and Neighbours
Dale's first professional acting job was playing an Indian in a production of The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the Grafton Theatre in Auckland.[2] His first on-screen role came in the New Zealand television drama Radio Waves, which although not successful, he described as "nine months of solid work and great fun."[2] In the late 1970s, Dale moved to Australia at the age of 32,[1][4] due to the limited acting work in New Zealand. He applied to the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, but was rejected because he "was a lot older than anybody else on the course."[2] He was soon cast as Dr. John Forrest in the Australian soap opera The Young Doctors, where he remained for three-and-a-half years.[2]
In 1985, Dale was cast in the continuing role of Jim Robinson in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. He appeared on the show from the first episode and stayed for eight years before his character was killed off in 1993.[4] He found working on Neighbours "exciting" and it enabled him to provide for his sons, but he said: "You were a totally replaceable commodity; [the production company] didn't put any value on any of the people appearing in the show."[1] He expanded: "I didn't like it there, they were not nice people. When we decided that we hated each other, the company and me, one of the things the company did was to market everything they could out of us and pay us nothing."[5] Dale and the company (Grundy Television) parted on "bad terms", although he would later go on to appear on the show again in 2018 and 2019.[6]
After Neighbours, Dale struggled to find work in Australia because he was typecast as Jim Robinson.[1] His only regular sources of income were voice-overs,[4] and publishing magazines about his former show which he "made quite a lot of money out of". He lost most of his profits investing in a failed children's magazine.[5] In 1999, he was cast in the American television film First Daughter, which was filmed in Australia. After discovering he could perform a convincing American accent, Dale attended the film's premiere, finally moving with his family to the United States permanently in January 2000.[4] Dale, his second wife Tracey, and their then two-year-old son Nick moved into an "awful little flat" in Los Angeles and found an agent. Dale recalled telling his wife in Melbourne that "there's no way this is going to work. But if it does, it proves you can do anything."[1]
Wider success
At the age of 52, he began to revive his career and started taking acting classes,[4] something he had not thought about after being cast in Neighbours.[2] He described his age, unknown status and willingness to work for a relatively low fee as being his main assets for getting work in America. His drama teacher, whom he has remained with ever since,[2] told him "that you might want to play great roles, but truth is you will get cast as a specific type. Just work out your type. The others in the class said I was a bit Anthony Hopkins and a bit Sean Connery and that went into my head. I thought if I go for roles those guys would go for I'm more likely to get them."[4] The first role he was offered was a part in a series called Sign of Life, a show about a rock band, which eventually fell through.[2] Dale only received a couple of auditions during his first year in America, but his break came when he was cast as the South African Al Patterson in four episodes of ER.[1] Since then, Dale has been "busier than ever".[4]
He has appeared in many television series including guest appearances on
From 2003 to 2010, Dale appeared in his longest running American roles. He starred in the
In March 2008, Dale replaced Peter Davison in the lead role of King Arthur in the London West End production of Monty Python's Spamalot at the Palace Theatre.[17] He accepted the role because he was a huge fan of Monty Python and considered that "life's too short" for him to have turned down a West End part.[4] Although he has seen all of the Flying Circus sketches and Life Of Brian, Dale had never seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail (from which Spamalot is "lovingly ripped off") and had to buy a copy to prepare for the role.[2] It was not his first experience in musical theatre because he appeared in a 1984 Australian production of Applause, but Dale found the comic timing of the part to be the hardest task. "On stage, the battle is to find all of the humorous moments and not skip over them. [...] There's an art to Python humour and I'm aiming to try and get every single joke just right."[2] He was succeeded in the role by Sanjeev Bhaskar on 23 June 2008.[18]
Dale has also made several film appearances. He appeared as the
Popularity and style
Despite his mainstream success upon his move to America, Dale remained primarily known for his role as Jim Robinson in Neighbours in the United Kingdom and Australia for several years.
Dale's characters on most of the American television shows he has appeared on have shared similar character traits, which Dale describes as the "go-to powerful guy".
Jayne Nelson, writing in magazine SFX, named Dale the second most "serial" science-fiction guest star after Mark Sheppard. She wrote: "The thing is, soap-opera origins aside, Dale is always good. Which is why he keeps getting so much work....Dale never lets you down, always (well, usually) summoning up a pitch-perfect accent, too. There's something comforting about his presence on a show, as though the fact he's in it has lent it some weight."[22] In a profile of his work on "cult shows", Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy called Dale an "institution".[29]
Personal life
"I like both places [Australia and New Zealand] but I get a lot more respect and recognition from Australia than I do in New Zealand. New Zealanders don't want to know me at all, really. I've been Australian for 20-odd years. Everywhere I went I was the guy from Neighbours so I was Australian. Then when I came here [Hollywood], because I have a New Zealand passport I became a New Zealander again. It's odd."
— Dale on his nationality.[5]
In 1968, Dale married his girlfriend, Claire. The couple had two children, Simon and Matthew,
On 8 April 1990,[33] he married Tracey Pearson, the 1986 Miss Australia, whom he met at the 1986 Australian Grand Prix, when she was 21 and he was 39. Dale described it as "the most appropriate relationship I've ever had."[1] Dale also has two children from this marriage, Daniel and Nick.[1]
He and his family now live in Manhattan Beach, California[34] and also owns property in Australia.[2] Dale sold his holiday home in New Zealand in 2011 for $1.25m.[35] Both of Dale's parents died in 2007.[2][6] Dale describes his life philosophy as being Winston Churchill's quote "Never, never, never give up",[1] and counts Gene Hackman as his "big acting hero".[2]
Filmography
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Alan Dale" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2020) |
Films
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Houseboat Horror | Evans | Direct to video release |
2002 | Rent Control | George | |
2002 | Star Trek: Nemesis | Praetor Hiren | |
2003 | The Extreme Team | Richard Knowles | |
2003 | Hollywood Homicide | Commander Preston | |
2004 | Straight Eye: The Movie | Kelly's Dad | |
2004 | After the Sunset | Security Chief | |
2008 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | General Bob Ross | |
2011 | Happy New Year | Bill | Awaiting release |
2011 | A Little Bit of Heaven | Dr. Sanders | |
2011 | Priest | Monsignor Chamberlain | |
2011 | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark |
Jacoby | |
2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Detective Isaksson | |
2012 | Tangled Ever After | Priest | Short film; voice |
2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Councilman Rockwell[36] | |
2014 | Grace | Father John | [37] |
2015 | Entourage | John Ellis |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1979–1982 | The Young Doctors | Dr. John Forrest | Main cast member |
1985–1993, 2018–2019 | Neighbours | Jim Robinson | Main cast member; 1120 episodes |
1986 | The Far Country |
Dave Marshall | Two-part television film |
1994 | Janus | Richard Issacs | Recurring role |
1994 | Time Trax | Mr. Bergdorf | Episode 2.21: "The Crash" |
1995 | Plainclothes | Senior Sergeant Mitch Mitchell | |
1995 | Space: Above and Beyond | Colonial Governor Borman | Episode 1.1: " Pilot "
|
1997 | Frontline | Dave | Episode 3.1: " Dick on the Line "
|
1997 | Blue Heelers | Rod Wright | Episode 4.31: "Off the Air" |
1997–1998 | State Coroner | Dudley Mills | Eight episodes |
1999 | Alien Cargo | Eichhorn, Explorer Dolphin | Television film |
1999 | First Daughter | Daly | Television film |
2000 | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World |
Phelan | Episode 1.20: "The Chosen One" |
2000–2001 | ER | Al Patterson | Four episodes |
2001 | Signs of Life | Clive | Episode 1.1: "Pilot" |
2001 | The Lone Gunmen | Michael Wilhelm | Episode 1.3: "Eine Kleine Frohike" |
2001 | Philly | Bruce Frohman | Episode 1.9: "Loving Sons" |
2002 | The X-Files | Toothpick Man | Three episodes |
2002 | American Dreams | Captain Andrews | Episode 1.6: "Soldier Boy" |
2002 | The Practice | Judge Robert Brenford | Episodes 7.9: "The Good Fight" and 7.10: "Silent Partners" |
2002–2003 | The West Wing | Secretary of Commerce Mitch Bryce | Episodes 4.1: " 20 Hours in America, Part I" and 4.23: "Twenty Five "
|
2003 | JAG | NCIS Director Tom Morrow | Episodes 8.20: "Ice Queen" and 8.21: "Meltdown" |
2003 | CSI: Miami | Canadian Consulate General Dubay | Episode 2.1: "Blood Brothers" |
2003–2004 | 24 | Vice President Jim Prescott | Eight episodes (seasons 2–3) |
2003–2005 | The O.C. | Caleb Nichol | Main cast member; appeared in 35 episodes (seasons 1–2) |
2003–2016 | NCIS | NCIS (later Homeland) Director Tom Morrow | Reprised character from JAG; 14 episodes (seasons 1–3, 10–13) |
2004 | Crossing Jordan | Carl Logan | Episode 3.2: "Slam Dunk" |
2005 | E-Ring | Raymond Metcalf | Three episodes |
2005 | Bow | "Bow Wow's gay English butler"[5] | Episode 1.1: "Pilot"; series not picked up |
2006–2010 | Lost | Charles Widmore | 17 episodes (seasons 2–6) |
2006–2007 | Ugly Betty | Bradford Meade | Main cast member; 35 episodes (seasons 1–2) |
2008 | Torchwood | Dr. Aaron Copley | Episode 2.6: "Reset" |
2008 | Midnight Man |
Donald Hagan | Episodes 1.1 and 1.3 |
2008 | Sea Patrol |
Ray Walsman | Six episodes |
2008–2011 | Entourage | John Ellis | Five episodes (seasons 5–8) |
2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Australian Ambassador | Episode 2.3: "The Tough Brets" |
2009 | Moving Wallpaper | Himself/John Priest | Six episodes; Dale plays a fictionalised version of himself and stars in the show-within-a-show Renaissance.[9]
|
2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Judge Joshua Koehler | Episode 10.21: "Liberties" |
2010 | Important Things with Demetri Martin | Mob Boss | Episode 2.1: "Attention" |
2010 | Burn Notice | Mr. Bocklage | Episode 4.6: "Entry Point" |
2010 | Undercovers | James Kelvin | Five episodes[8] |
2011 | Californication | Lloyd Alan Phillips Jr. | Episode 4.07: "The Recused" |
2011 | Doomsday Prophecy | General Slade | Television film |
2011 | Person of Interest | Kohl | Episode 1.8: " Foe "
|
2011–2012 | The Killing | Senator Eaton | Six episodes (seasons 1–2) |
2011–2013, 2017 | Once Upon a Time | King George/Albert Spencer | nine episodes (seasons 1–2,6) Also narrated the clip show "The Price of Magic" |
2012 | House of Lies | Jonathan Strauss | Episode 1.3: "Microphallus" |
2012 | Unsupervised | Sid | Episode 1.9: "Jesse Judge Lawncare Incorporated" |
2012 | Beauty and the Beast | Emperor Dorian | Episode 1.1: "Pilot"; series not picked up[38][39] |
2012–2013 | Hot in Cleveland | Sir Emmett Lawson | Eight episodes |
2013 | Body of Proof | Emmett Harrington | Episode 3.12: "Breakout"[40] |
2013 | The Mindy Project | Alfred | Episode 2.5: "Sk8er Man"[41] |
2013 | Auckland Daze | Alan/Himself | Three episodes |
2014 | Dominion | General Edward Riesen | Main cast |
2015 | Top Coppers | Frank | Episode 1.1: "The Chill of the Cockney Freezer" |
2016 | Secret City | Prime Minister Martin Toohey | Main cast; six episodes |
2016 | Graves | Trevor Lloyd | Episode 1.5: "Lions in Winter" |
2017 | Homeland | President Morse | Episode 6.6: "The Return"[42] |
2017–2021 | Dynasty | Joseph Anders | Main cast (seasons 1–4); 73 episodes[43] |
2019 | Tangled: The Series |
Vicar | Episode 2.19: "Rapunzeltopia" |
2024 | Wreck | Owen Deveraux | Season 2[44] |
Video games
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2002 | X-Men: Next Dimension | Additional voices |
2004 | EverQuest II | Dawson Magnificent, Generic High Elf |
2005 | Yakuza | Masa Sera |
2006 | 24: The Game | Vice President Jim Prescott |
2012 | Mass Effect 3 | Henry Lawson Captain Aaron Sommers |
2013 | The Bureau: XCOM Declassified | Dr. Alan Weir |
Theatre
- Spamalot (2008) – King Arthur
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Dale, Alan (1 June 2008). "In My Own Words". The Sunday Telegraph Magazine. p. 013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Foss, Roger (10 March 2008). "20 Questions With ... Alan Dale". What's on Stage. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ "Celebrity birthdays". The Hamilton Spectator. 6 May 2008. p. G02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Dessau, Bruce (8 March 2008). "Alan Dale: the journey from Neighbours to king of Spamalot". The Times. UK. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Barry, Rebecca (15 February 2007). "Alan Dale shares his Hollywood highs and heartbreak". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
- ^ a b c Williams, Andrew (5 March 2008). "Neighbours star slams US sausage". Metro. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Nededog, Jethro (25 August 2011). "'Lost's' Alan Dale Lands on ABC's 'Once Upon A Time'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ a b Stanhope, Kate (29 October 2010). "Exclusive: Undercovers Recruits Alan Dale for Recurring Role". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 1 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Alan Dale joins Moving Wallpaper". BBC News. 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (25 August 2011). "Exclusive: ABC's Once Upon a Time Gets Lost, Taps Alan Dale For Royal Role". TVLine. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ Keck, William (13 August 2012). "Keck's Exclusives: Lost Alum Heads to Cleveland". TV Guide. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ Harvey, J. (19 June 2014). "'Dominion' premiere recap: Call us 'Legion,' for we're based on that movie". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ a b Kroll, Justin (30 August 2011). "'Dragon Tattoo' inks a latecomer". Variety. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d Goldman, Eric (23 August 2006). "IGN Interview: Alan Dale". IGN. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
- ^ Stransky, Tanner (13 November 2007). "Ugly Betty: Dead Meade". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
- ^ a b Ruby, Jamie (5 May 2010). "Alan Dale on 'Lost'". MediaBlvd Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ "Ugly Betty Star Alan Dale Headed for London Spamalot". Broadway.com. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
- ^ Shenton, Mark (2 June 2008). "London Spamalot Will Welcome New King in June and Close in January 2009". Playbill. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ Bodey, Michael (6 February 2003). "Long trek from Ramsay Street". The Daily Telegraph. p. T06.
- ^ Media Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
- ^ Galer, Kit (18 June 2008). "Ugly hedging your Bettys". Herald Sun. Australia.
- ^ a b Nelson, Jayne (2 June 2011). "SF's Serial Guest Stars". SFX. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Clune, Richard (4 February 2007). "Dale hits big time at age 60". The Daily Telegraph. p. 028.
- ^ "Amazon.co.uk: Dale's sales thrash ex-Neighbours stars". M2 Presswire. 24 September 2007.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (18 April 2011). "'The Killing' recap: In which everybody has a dark past". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ Rothing, Hilary (18 April 2011). "The Killing 1.04 'A Soundless Echo'". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 20 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- TV Squad. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ Rosen, Christopher (20 October 2008). "Don't Know Alan Dale? Yes You Do!". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (8 March 2009). "All hail the mighty Alan Dale!". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Alan Dale: Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ "Alan Dale". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Alan Dale Biography (1947–)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ Agostino, Josephine (26 May 2008). "Alan Dale's life is cruisy". Woman's Day. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
- ^ "Actor sells $1.25m Waiwera home". Stuff.co.nz. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ Brown, Todd (31 May 2013). "Meet Robert Redford's S.H.I.E.L.D. Team From CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER". twitchfilm.com. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ McNary, Dave (18 July 2013). "Sony Acquires Alexia Fast Horror Pic 'Grace'". Variety. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Levine, Stuart (9 March 2012). "'Lost' actor Alan Dale joins ABC's 'Beast'". Variety. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ Cummins, Steve (22 June 2012). "Ruth Bradley Signs US Deal with ABC Studios". IFTN.ie. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ "Scoop: BODY OF PROOF on ABC – Tuesday, March 19, 2013". BroadwayWorld.com. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ Faria, Sonya (1 October 2013). "'The Mindy Project' season 2, episode 5 'Sk8er Man' synopsis released". hypable.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ^ Riccio, Aaron (26 February 2017). "Homeland Recap Season 6, Episode 6, "The Return"". Slant Magazine.
- ^ Saunders, Emma (11 May 2017). "Everything we know about the Dynasty remake". BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ James, Alastair (12 February 2024). "Wreck: Series two first-look images show more screams, new villains, and guest stars". Attitude. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
External links
- Alan Dale at IMDb