Reginald Tate
Reginald Tate | |
---|---|
Born | 13 December 1896 Garforth, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
Died | 23 August 1955 | (aged 58)
Years active | 1922–1955 |
Reginald Tate (13 December 1896 – 23 August 1955)[1] was an English actor, veteran of many roles on stage, in films and on television. He is remembered best as the first actor to play the television science-fiction character Professor Bernard Quatermass, in the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment.
Early life
Reginald Tate was born in
In 1926, he moved to London, with his first major role being in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Strand Theatre.[1] He had particular success with the lead role of Stanhope in R. C. Sherriff's play Journey's End, playing the part in a 1929 tour of Australia and New Zealand and again for a 1934 revival production at the Criterion Theatre in London.[1]
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's fledgling television service, one of its earliest major drama productions.[3] His performance was praised by the television critic of The Times newspaper, who wrote that: "his performance [was] brilliantly full of fiery disillusionment. It successfully dominated the stage—no easy matter when Osborne is played as well as Mr. Basil Gill played him."[4]
At the beginning of the
After the end of the war he continued to perform for theatre and increasingly for television. He met the
Death
When the BBC commissioned a second Quatermass serial in 1955, Tate was eager to participate and play the Professor again.[12] Production was due to begin in September, and on 7 August 1955 he produced his first television play, Night Was Our Friend.[13] Only sixteen days after this, late at night on 23 August, he collapsed outside his home in London.[1] He had suffered a heart attack, and despite being rushed to hospital in Putney he died soon afterwards.[13]
Selected filmography
- Tangled Evidence (1934) – Ellaby
- Whispering Tongues (1934) – Alan Norton
- The Riverside Murder (1935) – Hubert Perrin
- The Phantom Light (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 (1940) – Ackroyd
- The Next of Kin (1942) – Maj. Richards
- The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) – van Zijl
- The Way Ahead (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 (1948) – Editor
- Diamond City (1949) – Longdon
- Midnight Episode (1950) – Inspector Lucas
- Secret People (1952) – Inspector Eliot
- The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men(1952) – Hugh Fitzooth
- Escape Route (1952) – Colonel Wilkes
- Malta Story (1953) – Vice Adm Payne
- King's Rhapsody (1955) – King Peter
- Hotel Incident (1962) – Brown – the Commander (final film role)
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mr. Reginald Tate – Versatile Actor". The Times. 25 August 1955. p. 13.
- ^ a b c Pixley, p. 6.
- ^ Vahimagi, pg. 8.
- ^ "Televised Drama – Journey's End". The Times. 12 November 1937. p. 14.
- ^ "Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The (1943) – Cast". Screenonline. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ "Way Ahead, The (1944) – Cast". Screenonline. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ Murray, pg. 28.
- ^ Pixley, Andrew; Kneale, Nigel (1986). "Nigel Kneale – Behind the Dark Door". The Quatermass Home Page. Archived from the original on 17 August 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ Collinson, Gavin. "Quatermass Experiment, The (1953)". Screenonline. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ Pixley, p. 15.
- ^ Barnes, Sir Kenneth (27 August 1955). "Mr. Reginald Tate". The Times. p. 9.
- ^ Murray, p. 50.
- ^ a b Pixley, p. 17.
References
- Murray, Andy (2006). Into the Unknown: The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale (paperback). ISBN 1-900486-50-4.
- Pixley, Andrew (2005). The Quatermass Collection – Viewing Notes. London: BBC Worldwide. BBCDVD1478.
- Vahimagi, Tise (1994). British Television: An Illustrated Guide. ISBN 0-19-818336-4.
External links
- Reginald Tate at IMDb
- Quatermass.org.uk – Reginald Tate profile at the Nigel Kneale & Quatermass Appreciation Site