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Larenz Tate

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Larenz Tate
Born (1975-09-08) September 8, 1975 (age 49)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present
Spouse
Tomasina Parrott
​
(m. 2006)​
Children3

Larenz Tate (born September 8, 1975[1][2]) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as O-Dog in Menace II Society, Anthony Curtis in Dead Presidents, and as Councilman Rashad Tate in Power. Tate's other films and television series include the films Love Jones, A Man Apart, Crash, Waist Deep, Ray and the television series Rush and Game of Silence.

Early life

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Tate was born in Chicago, to Peggy and Larry Tate.[3] He is the youngest of three siblings; his two brothers, Larron and Lahmard, are also actors.[4][5] The family moved to California during the early 1980s.[6] Convinced by their parents to enter a drama program at the Inner City Cultural Center, the trio did not take the lessons seriously until classmate Malcolm-Jamal Warner's ascent to fame after being cast on the sitcom The Cosby Show. Subsequently, realizing that they could parlay their efforts into a tangible form of success, the siblings began to receive small roles and in 1985, Tate made his small-screen debut in an episode of The New Twilight Zone.[7] Tate attended Palmdale High School, graduating in 1993.[8]

Career

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Following appearances in such television series as 21 Jump Street and The Wonder Years, Tate was cast in the television movie The Women of Brewster Place before receiving the recurring role of Steve Urkel's nemesis, Willie Fuffner, in the sitcom Family Matters.[9] He also appeared as Curtis, a grandson of Redd Foxx's character on the CBS series The Royal Family.[10] Foxx died of a heart attack a month after The Royal Family debuted, and a reworking with Jackée Harry as part of the cast failed to save the series.[11]

After numerous acting roles on television, collaborative filmmaking siblings Albert and Allen Hughes approached him to star in their debut feature Menace II Society in 1993. In the film, Tate portrayed "O-Dog", a trigger-happy teenager.[12] Frederick I. Douglass of the Baltimore Black-American opined Tate's performance in the film made it an instant classic.[13] Tate had a regular role on the short-lived television series South Central (1994) as Andre.[14]

Tate acted in The Inkwell (1994) as Drew. One reviewer praised his performance and called Tate a "promising" actor.[15] However, in negative reviews Tate was seen as "overacting"[16] and compared unfavorably to Jim Carrey.[17] In 1995, Tate portrayed Vietnam veteran Anthony Curtis in the Hughes brothers' Dead Presidents.[18] A film reviewer stated Tate proved he could play sympathetic characters with his performance in the film.[19]

He took on the role of love-stricken young poet Darius in Love Jones (1997).[4] Critic Jay Carr found Tate "engaging" in the role.[20] Tate also played Kenny in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the episode "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin",[21] which was produced by Quincy Jones who Tate would later portray in the 2004 film Ray.[22]

In 1997, Tate appeared as Ford Lincoln Mercury in The Postman.[23] He played Frankie Lymon in the biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). One critic praised Tate's dancing prowess in the film.[24] He was the lead character, Neville, in 2000's Love Come Down.[25]

Throughout the 2000s, Tate continued his film career. Tate portrayed Vin Diesel's drug officer partner in A Man Apart (2003),[26] with his other film work including Biker Boyz (2003),[27] Crash (2004),[28] and Waist Deep (2006).[29] Tate was featured in R&B singer Ashanti's 2003 released music video Rain on Me, where he played the jealous, abusive spouse of Ashanti. The video touched on the subject of domestic abuse. In the video game 187 Ride or Die, Tate voices the main character, Buck.

Tate portrayed Shooter Cooper in Love Monkey,[30] which was cancelled after three episodes. He starred in seasons 4-7 of FX's Rescue Me as Bart "Black Shawn" Johnston.[citation needed] Tate appeared as Malcolm, the brother of Don Cheadle's character, in House of Lies[31] and guest starred on an episode of The Mindy Project.[32] Tate starred as beta tester Max in Beta Test (2016)[33] and appeared in the 2017 film Girls Trip.[34] Starting in 2017, Tate played Councilman Rashad Tate on Power,[35] and continued portraying the character in sequel series Power Book II: Ghost.[36]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 Clippers TJ TV movie
Seeds of Tragedy Cornelius TV movie
1993 Menace II Society Kevin "O-Dog" Anderson
1994 The Inkwell Drew Tate
1995 Dead Presidents Anthony Curtis
1997 Love Jones Darius Lovehall
The Postman Ford Lincoln Mercury
1998 Why Do Fools Fall in Love Frankie Lymon
2000 Love Come Down Neville Carter
2003 Biker Boyz Wood
A Man Apart Demetrius Hicks
2004 Crash Peter Waters
Ray Quincy Jones
2006 Waist Deep Lucky
2008 Blue Blood Tre TV movie
2011 Sacks West Larenz Short
Gun Hill Bird Stevens/Train Stevens TV movie
2015 White Water Terrance TV movie
2016 Beta Test Max
2017 Girls Trip Julian
Deuces Deuces
Salamander Ethan TV movie
2019 Business Ethics Zachery Cranston
2025 Michael Berry Gordy Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Twilight Zone Older Brother Episode: "Night of the Meek"
1987 Hunter Sporty's Nephew Episode: "Crossfire"
Frank's Place Other Boy Episode: "Cool and the Gang: Part 1 & 2"
1988 Sonny Spoon Tim Episode: "Cheap & Chili"
Amen LeShawn Episode: "Get Em Up, Scout"
1989 21 Jump Street Young Adam Fuller Episode: "Wolly Bullies"
The Wonder Years Basketball Team Captain Episode: "Loosiers"
The Women of Brewster Place Sammy TV mini series
Matlock Street Kid #3 Episode: "The Scrooge"
1990 New Attitude Chilly D Main cast
You Take the Kids Tyrone Episode: "The Eggs & I"
1990–91 Family Matters Willie Fuffner Recurring cast: season 2
1991 The Royal Family Curtis Royal Main cast
1992 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Kenny Episode: "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin"
1993 Harts of the West Marcus Episode: "Cowboyz in the Hood"
1994 South Central Andre Mosely Main cast
2006 Waterfront Marcus Main cast
Love Monkey Derrick "Shooter" Cooper Main cast
2007-11 Rescue Me Bart "Black Sean" Johnston Recurring cast: seasons 4-5, main cast: seasons 6-7
2011 Justified Clinton Moss Episode: "For Blood or Money"
2013 The Mindy Project Tracy Episode: "Mindy Lahiri Is a Racist"
2013–15 House of Lies Malcolm Kaan Recurring cast: seasons 2-4
2014 Rush Alex Burke Main cast
2016 Game of Silence Shawn Cook Main cast
2017–20 Power Councilman Rashad Tate Recurring cast: season 4, main cast: seasons 5-6
2020-24 Power Book II: Ghost Recurring cast: season 1, main cast: seasons 2-3, guest: season 4

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 187 Ride or Die Buck Voice role

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1992 Young Artist Awards Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series The Royal Family Nominated
1993 Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Nominated
1998 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Love Jones Nominated
2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Ray Nominated
Gotham Awards Best Ensemble Performance (shared with the cast) Crash Nominated
Hollywood Film Awards Ensemble of the Year (shared with the cast) Won
2006 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble (shared with the cast) Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won
2010 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Rescue Me Nominated
2015 Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Gun Hill Nominated
Black Reel TV Awards Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series Won
2020 Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series Power Nominated
2021 Outstanding Guest Actor, Drama Series Power Book II: Ghost Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (April 1, 2006). Screen World: 2005 Film Annual. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-55783-668-7. Retrieved October 4, 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Berry, S. Torriano; Berry, Venise T. (September 2, 2009). The A to Z of African American Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7034-5. Retrieved October 4, 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Larenz Tate profile". Filmreference.com. September 8, 1975. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Thompson, Malissa (March 25, 1997). "the single guy". The Spokesman-Review. p. 69.
  5. ^ Peters, Jenny (September 27, 1995). "Larenz Tate is dead on target in 'Presidents'". The Boca Raton News. p. 3.
  6. ^ Thompson, Phillip (January 16, 2006). "Chicago's Larenz Tate enjoys life as a ladies' man on CBS dramedy". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Williams, Kam (April 25, 2003). "Larenz Tate says he's 'just a normal guy, aside from being an actor'". Indianapolis Recorder. p. C3.
  8. ^ "Hall of Fame – Alumni – Palmdale High School". Phsfalcons.org. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  9. ^ Mendoza, N.F. (July 9, 1995). "Harrison happy as Waldo on hit 'Family Matters'". The Daily Gazette. p. 3.
  10. ^ Pierce, Scott D. (September 18, 1991). "Redd Foxx, Della Reese ignite sparks on new sitcom 'The Royal Family'". The Deseret News. p. 6C.
  11. ^ O'Connor, John J. (April 8, 1992). "Reviews/Television; Mom Adds a Daughter, and a Show Goes On". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  12. ^ Pallot, James (June 27, 1993). "'Menace' Is Grim Portrayal of Street Life". The Durant Daily Democrat. p. 12.
  13. ^ Douglass, Frederick I. (May 29, 1993). "Menace II Society". Baltimore Afro-American. p. B5.
  14. ^ Elber, Lynn (April 5, 1994). "'Central' avoids stereotypes". Lawrence Journal-World. p. 2D.
  15. ^ Wilson, Calvin (May 24, 1994). "'Inkwell' dips into a warm tale". The Vindicator. p. B9.
  16. ^ Caltagirone, Stephanie (April 28, 1994). "Coming-of-age 'The Inkwell' suffers from lots of sugar, little substance". Reading Eagle. p. A14.
  17. ^ Wuntich, Philip (April 29, 1994). "Comedy is pleasant, forgettable". The Boca Raton News. p. 9E.
  18. ^ Hicks, Chris (October 6, 1995). "'Dead Presidents' tries to do too much". The Deseret News. p. 24.
  19. ^ Boyar, Jay (October 7, 1995). "Adept directing duo make film worth watching". The Free-Lance Star. p. B5.
  20. ^ Carr, Jay (March 15, 1997). "'Love Jones' is fluent in the language of love". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. p. E8.
  21. ^ "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (TV series): That's No Lady, That's My Cousin". IMDb.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  22. ^ Scott, A. O. (October 29, 2004). "Portrait of Genius, Painted in Music". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Turan, Kenneth (December 30, 1997). "Costner's silly movie 'Postman' fails to deliver the goods". The Daily Gazette. p. A4.
  24. ^ Fine, Marshall (August 30, 1998). "'Fools' entertaining if not all-telling". Sunday-Times Sentinel. p. C8.
  25. ^ Thomas McClauskey, Audrey (2007). Frame by Frame III: A Filmography of the African Diasporan Image, 1994-2004. Indiana University Press. p. 449. ISBN 9780253348296.
  26. ^ Longino, Bob (April 4, 2003). "Vin Diesel energizes old-school hero in 'A Man Apart'". The Victoria Advocate. p. 3E.
  27. ^ "Biker Boyz". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  28. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 2005). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 9780740755385.
  29. ^ Moore, Roger (June 22, 2006). "'Waist Deep' Often In Over Its Head". Lakeland Ledger. p. 5.
  30. ^ Bark, Ed (January 16, 2006). "CBS goes apes for love". Allegheny Times. p. B4.
  31. ^ Wilson, Kimberly N. (February 28, 2013). "Larenz Tate Spreads Truth on 'House of Lies'". Ebony. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  32. ^ Highfill, Samantha (October 4, 2013). "Larenz Tate to guest star on 'The Mindy Project'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  33. ^ Leydon, Joe (July 22, 2016). "Film Review: 'Beta Test'". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  34. ^ McNary, Dave (June 24, 2016). "Mike Colter, Larenz Tate Join Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith's 'Girl Trip' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  35. ^ Evans, Greg (August 16, 2019). "'Power': Donna Murphy To Recur On Sixth & Final Season Of Starz Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  36. ^ Porter, Rick (October 6, 2021). "Starz's 'Power Book II' Ups Larenz Tate to Series Regular (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
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