How Spielberg Hooked an Australian into the Palisades

By TRILBY BERESFORD | Reporter

There are many actors who exude charm and likability since it’s part of the territory, but few who possess, in addition, a sense of humility after decades of career glory. Sitting down with the Palisadian-Post at his local residence, Australian Nick Tate presents himself as a special breed.

He’s an actor who became a voice actor on the recommendation of Vincent Sklena, a filmmaker whom he met at a party once. “You should do voice-overs, you’d make a fortune,” Sklena said to Tate, very emphatically and completely out of the blue.

Tate talks in a sort of raspy tone, undoubtedly rather unique. “I inherited my dad’s voice,” he admits. Both of Tate’s parents were actors, heavily involved in theater, TV and radio in Australia. Tate describes his childhood home as a creative and busy atmosphere. “There was always something happening; my parents knew everyone.”

But when the idea of voice acting was suggested, Tate wasn’t too enthused. He was a working actor whose international career had been made with Fred Schepisi’s “The Devil’s Playground” in 1976. He had enjoyed a recurring role in the British series “Space: 1999” as Alan Carter, heroic captain of the astronauts. Fan mail rolled in on a weekly basis. But Sklena was relentless, he kept on pressing. “I’m going to make you famous,” he said on the phone three weeks after their initial meeting.

Soon came the introduction to Don LaFontaine, one of the most prolific voice actors in Hollywood and “one of the nicest guys on the planet,” according to Tate. Welcomed into the Tisherman talent agency that represented LaFontaine, Tate’s voice was put on a house reel.

As promised, the voice-over thing went big—really big. He sometimes booked 8, 9, 10 jobs in a day: commercials for cars, airlines, film companies. And then, the voice-over for the “Jurassic Park” movie trailer. That made Tate’s voice-over career. Everyone wanted him. He went on to voice the trailers for “Braveheart,” “Apollo 13,” “Schindler’s List,” “Double Jeopardy,” “Deep Impact,” “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “The Thin Red Line” and more.

Influenced by highly versatile actors like Robin Williams, who could perform virtually any accent, Tate’s venture into voice acting wasn’t totally random. In his youth, he bought Peter Sellers discs and practiced voices for hours. As an Australian actor in America, he worked hard at his American accent because it was a necessity. But things didn’t always go as planned: He did a TV show called “Open House” in 1989, and the producers decided to change his role from American to Australian.

Of course, he eventually conquered the American sound. During our chat, he effortlessly slips into many accents with perfect intonation. “I love doing English, New Yorker, Southern accents,” he says in the non-showiest way. Referencing his life and career, Tate says he is happy with how things panned out. “I love making people laugh and having a good time,” he shares.

He has been married to designer Hazel Butterfield Tate for 43 years (whose Instagram account—@hazelbutterfieldtate—is well worth a visit.) They have two children together, Tom and Jessica, both of whom have entered their own creative fields.

Tate has also been on screen, if sometimes in deep disguise. He donned a lot of hair for the piratical role of Noodler in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 “Hook.” He was only supposed to be on set for a few hours but Spielberg liked him and he stayed for weeks. “And it paid for my house in the Palisades,” he says with a laugh.

In 1999, Tate and his wife leased that house out and returned to Australia, where they spent the next 12 years in idyllic Sydney. “I walked out on the best career I ever had,” Tate admits, though there isn’t a trace of bitterness or even melancholy. The overwhelming feeling he expresses, non-verbally, is a love for his family and the adventurous life they have built together.

Tate has literally built a lot of things, too, such as their house in The Highlands and the surrounding fence. He even put the pool in. “I just love building,” he explains, adjusting his baseball cap.

The truth is, Tate’s career has continued on a steady path no matter where he is. There’s a voice-over booth installed in his house for the ease of recording jobs. One of his current roles is doing the voice for an Australian cartoon series called “The Strange Chores.” On screen, he recently played an Irish drug squad leader in “The Blacklist.”

There are many more projects Tate would like to sink his teeth into, such as a role in a film adaptation of the David Williamson play “When Dad Married Fury.”

Emphasizing this several times, he doesn’t want to play nasty characters. “I have an objection to playing those kinds of roles because of my childhood.” Tate’s father was a heavy drinker who made life very difficult.

“I would play Hitler, however,” Tate adds. He quickly transitions into a German accent, and unsurprisingly, has it down like a consummate professional.