He was born in Garforth, Leeds. His father worked for the NE Railway Company and his grandfather had been manager of Garforth Colliery. His brother Robert's son was the actor David (Henderson) Tate. He went to private schools in York including St Martin's and followed his father into the Railway before joining the Army.
At the time of his death, he was preparing to reprise his role as Professor Bernard Quatermass in Quatermass II (1955), the first sequel to the groundbreaking BBC science fiction serial The Quatermass Experiment (1953). However, he died of a sudden heart attack on August 23, 1955, less than a month before the production of Quatermass II (1955) was scheduled to begin. After André Morell turned the role down, John Robinson was cast to replace Tate on short notice. Morell ultimately played Quatermass in the third and final BBC "Quatermass" serial, namely Quatermass and the Pit (1958).
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hotel Incident
1962
Brown - the Commander
King's Rhapsody
1955
King Peter
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
1952-1954
TV Series
King Charles II
King Philip II of Spain
Leblanc
...
The Quatermass Experiment
1953
TV Series
Professor Bernard Quatermass
Malta Story
1953
Vice Adm Payne
It Is Midnight, Doctor Schweitzer
1953
TV Movie
Leblanc
The Prodigal Son
1953
TV Movie
Barnabas
I'll Get You
1952
Colonel Wilkes
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men
1952
Hugh Fitzooth
Secret People
1952
Inspector Eliot
Midnight Episode
1950
Inspector Lucas
The Switchback
1950
TV Movie
Viscount Pascal
Diamond City
1949
Longdon
Potter
1948
TV Movie
Beaumont Pride
Reunion
1948
TV Movie
Stephen Greene
The Tragedy of King Lear Part 2/II
1948
TV Movie
Duke of Cornwall
The Silk Noose
1948
Editor
Jane Eyre
1948
TV Movie
Mr. Rochester
The Tragedy of King Lear Part 2/I
1948
TV Movie
Duke of Cornwall
The Tragedy of King Lear Part 1/II
1948
TV Movie
Duke of Cornwall
The Tragedy of King Lear Part 1
1948
TV Movie
Duke of Cornwall
Inspector Playfair's Notebook
1948
TV Mini-Series short
Halcott Davester
On the Spot
1948
TV Movie
Tony Perrelli
Loyalties
1948
TV Movie
Captain Ronald Dancy, DSO
Death at Newtownstewart
1948
TV Movie
The Attorney General
The Inheritance
1947
Austin Ruthyn
So Well Remembered
1947
Trevor Mangin
Journey Together
1945
Commanding Officer, Initial Training Wing
The Man from Morocco
1945
Ricardi
Madonna of the Seven Moons
1945
Ackroyd
The Way Ahead
1944
The Training Company Commanding Officer
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
1943
van Zijl
The Next of Kin
1942
Maj. Richards (as Squadron Leader Reginald Tate)
It Happened to One Man
1940
Ackroyd
The Open Door
1939
TV Short
Sir Geoffrey Transom
Suspect
1939
TV Movie
Sir Hugo Const
Poison Pen
1939
Rev. Rider
The Deacon and the Jewess
1939
TV Movie
Robert, a deacon
Too Dangerous to Live
1939
Collins
Glorious Morning
1938
TV Movie
Journey's End
1937
TV Movie
Capt. Denis Stanhope
For Valour
1937
Chester
Theatre Parade
1937
TV Series
Dark Journey
1937
Mate of Q-Boat
The Man Behind the Mask
1936
Allan Hayden
The Phantom Light
1935
Tom Evans
The Riverside Murder
1935
Hubert Perrin
Whispering Tongues
1934
Allan Norton
Tangled Evidence
1934
Ellaby
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
1955
TV Series producer - 1 episode
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1955
TV Series
Hugh Fitzooth
Known for movies
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) as van Zijl
The Way Ahead (1944) as The Training Company Commanding Officer
$1.7 Million
