It’s easy to say that Tate Donovan has been around for a while. He became an active actor in 1984 and has continued acting since and has also become a director in that time. He has a wide assortment of credits in film and TV and has often been a supporting character or even a lead. His lead roles though kind of pale in comparison to his supporting roles since he’s a great actor but at the same time he’s definitely rock solid as the guy that you want at your side when you need some stability and/or accountability. Some of the roles he’s taken over the years have been extremely short but their impact has still been felt throughout the rest of the production since he tends play very critical characters that overtake the plot in a few ways.
Throughout it all though he does have film appearances that are more memorable than others.
5. Shooter-Russ Turner
Clips of him are hard to find in this movie but he’s the supervisor, or boss, of Nick Memphis, the same guy that doesn’t believe Memphis when he starts talking about conspiracy theories and the fact that Bob Lee Swagger might not be the shooter that the FBI is chasing. He comes and goes throughout the movie with an air of importance that’s obvious but still kind of downplayed.
4. Love Potion #9-Paul Matthews
Matthews and his research partner are just hopeless since quite honestly they’re nerds that want to find love but don’t know how to go about it. When they invent a chemical solution that allows them to become irresistible to the opposite sex however they quickly find out what being popular is really all about, and discover more about each other than they’d realized.
3. Space Camp-Kevin Donaldson
Kevin is the kind of cocky, almost arrogant kid that thinks he knows a lot and yet can’t help but feel lost at times. Of course if you got blasted into space due to a false error in the space shuttle that was supposed to be running a simulation it seems like anyone would feel a bit lost. This almost forgotten gem marks one of the earliest films that Tate starred in.
2. The Pacifier-Howard Plummer
This is one of the best examples of how Tate’s performance set the tone for the rest of the movie. He has only a few scenes in the beginning of the film but the work that his character was doing is sought after for the entire film. Added to that is the fact that the kids in the film miss their father so much that his presence is still felt throughout the movie.
1. Hercules-Hercules
This movie was pretty popular when it hit the theaters and despite taking the legend of Hercules to a kind of fun, campy level it was still widely enjoyed by kids and Disney fans alike. Hercules was given rather mixed reviews thanks to a lot of aspects that people clucked about, but overall it was a feelgood movie that was just a lot of fun.
Tate Donovan is the kind of actor that’s best in a supporting role but can definitely swing a lead role.
