Larenz Tate
Encyclopedia
Larenz Tate is an American
film
and television
actor
.
, Illinois
, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings (his two brothers, Larron and Lahmard
, are also actors) whose family moved to California
when he was nine years old. 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
series.
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 family comedy series Family Matters
(1989). He was also a cast member on the CBS
series The Royal Family
, starring Redd Foxx
and Della Reese
, which ended prematurely after Redd Foxx died. In the video game 187 Ride or Die
, Tate voices the main character, Buck.
Following numerous small-screen roles, offers began pouring in for Tate, and in late 1992, collaborative filmmaking siblings Albert and Allen Hughes
approached him to star in their debut feature Menace II Society
. A jarring vision of inner-city desperation and decay, the film found Tate channeling his substantial energy into creating "O-Dog", a trigger-happy teenager. Following up with the little-seen but often-praised television series South Central
, Tate would later appear in the family comedy-drama The Inkwell
(1994) before re-teaming with the Hughes brothers for Dead Presidents
(1995) and taking on the role of a love-stricken young poet in the romantic drama Love Jones (1997). Larenz Tate also played the role of Kenny in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
in the episode "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin".
There followed roles in The Postman
(as the automotively monikered Ford Lincoln Mercury), the Frankie Lymon
biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love
(1998, with Tate as Lymon), and 2000's Love Come Down. Though a big theatrical release had eluded Tate for the first few years of the millennial turnover, Tate would soon turn up opposite Laurence Fishburne
in the high-octane but critically derided Biker Boyz
(2003) A Man Apart
(2003), Crash
(2004), as music legend Quincy Jones
in Ray
(2004), and Waist Deep
(2006). Larenz was also 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. He also starred as part of the main cast in season's 4-7 of FX Network's Rescue Me
as Bart "Black Shawn" Johnston.
He made a surprise appearance at the 2010 BET Awards
alongside Nia Long
.
" in 2005. For most of the new millennium, Tomasina was a top dancer with Prince, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and others. They have two sons together: Myles and Zander.
English football star Rio Ferdinand
has two sons named after Tate.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life
Tate was born on the west side of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings (his two brothers, Larron and Lahmard
Lahmard Tate
Lahmard J. Tate aka Cuba Jr. is an American actor and is the older brother of famed actor Larenz Tate.Lahmard Tate is famously known for his roles in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood as Ashtray's father and Sabretooth as Leon.Another famous role was in...
, are also actors) whose family moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when he was nine years old. 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
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician. He is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Additionally, he appeared as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He is currently starring as Dr...
's ascent to fame after being cast on the sitcom The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
. 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
The New Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is the first of two revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.-Series history:...
series.
Career
Following appearances in such television series as 21 Jump Street21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...
and The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
, 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 family comedy series Family Matters
Family Matters (TV series)
Family Matters is an American sitcom about a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago, Illinois, which ran on national television for nine full seasons. The series was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, but revolves around the Winslow family...
(1989). He was also a cast member on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series The Royal Family
The Royal Family (TV series)
The Royal Family is an American sitcom starring Redd Foxx and Della Reese. The series was created and produced by Eddie Murphy , who had previously worked with Redd Foxx and Della Reese in the 1989 film Harlem Nights. It ran for one season on CBS from 1991-1992...
, starring Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
and Della Reese
Della Reese
Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
, which ended prematurely after Redd Foxx died. In the video game 187 Ride or Die
187 Ride or Die
187 Ride or Die is a video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed and published by Ubisoft. In order to become "top dog" of the game the player must race and defeat opponents through a variety of different stages all set in Los Angeles's infamous South Central region.The game's title comes...
, Tate voices the main character, Buck.
Following numerous small-screen roles, offers began pouring in for Tate, and in late 1992, collaborative filmmaking siblings Albert and Allen Hughes
Hughes Brothers
Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes , known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors, producers and screenwriters...
approached him to star in their debut feature Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
. A jarring vision of inner-city desperation and decay, the film found Tate channeling his substantial energy into creating "O-Dog", a trigger-happy teenager. Following up with the little-seen but often-praised television series South Central
South Central (TV series)
South Central is an American comedy-drama series that aired on the Fox network from April 5, 1994 to June 7, 1994. It was cancelled following its first season, and the airing of only 10 episodes.-Synopsis:...
, Tate would later appear in the family comedy-drama The Inkwell
The Inkwell
The Inkwell is a 1994 romantic comedy/drama film, directed by Matty Rich. This movie stars Larenz Tate, Joe Morton, Suzzanne Douglass, Glynn Turman, and Vanessa Bell Calloway...
(1994) before re-teaming with the Hughes brothers for Dead Presidents
Dead Presidents
Dead Presidents is a 1995 American crime film written by Michael Henry Brown and also written, produced and directed by the Hughes brothers , starring Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez, N'Bushe Wright and Bokeem Woodbine...
(1995) and taking on the role of a love-stricken young poet in the romantic drama Love Jones (1997). Larenz Tate also played the role of Kenny in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
in the episode "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin".
There followed roles in The Postman
The Postman (film)
The Postman is an American post-apocalyptic epic film based on the 1985 novel of the same name by David Brin. It was filmed in northeastern Washington , Fidalgo Island, Washington, central Oregon and Tucson, Arizona, and was directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars in the film...
(as the automotively monikered Ford Lincoln Mercury), the Frankie Lymon
Frankie Lymon
Franklin Joseph "Frankie" Lymon was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group, The Teenagers. The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid teens...
biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (film)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love is an American romantic drama, directed by Gregory Nava and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is a biographical film of the brief but intense life of R&B/Rock & Roll singer Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the pioneering rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & the...
(1998, with Tate as Lymon), and 2000's Love Come Down. Though a big theatrical release had eluded Tate for the first few years of the millennial turnover, Tate would soon turn up opposite Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
in the high-octane but critically derided Biker Boyz
Biker Boyz
Biker Boyz is a 2003 film about a group of underground motorcycle drag racers. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Luke, Meagan Good, and Larenz Tate and is written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood...
(2003) A Man Apart
A Man Apart
A Man Apart is a 2003 action-thriller-drama film directed by F. Gary Gray and released by New Line Cinema. The film stars Vin Diesel and Larenz Tate. The story follows undercover DEA agent Sean Vetter who is on a vendetta to take down a mysterious drug lord named Diablo after his wife is murdered...
(2003), Crash
Crash (2004 film)
Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
(2004), as music legend Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
in Ray
Ray (film)
Ray is a 2004 biographical film focusing on 30 years of the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was directed by Taylor Hackford and starred Jamie Foxx in the title role; Foxx received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.Charles was set to...
(2004), and Waist Deep
Waist Deep
Waist Deep is a 2006 drama-action film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good. It is loosely based on the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, including some similar subplots including the two main characters on the road, trying to avoid police, and committing bank...
(2006). Larenz was also featured in R&B singer Ashanti
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
's 2003 released music video Rain on Me
Rain on Me
"Rain on Me" is a single released by R&B singer Ashanti in 2003 from her second album Chapter II. The single reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and the top 20 in the United Kingdom. In the video Ashanti plays a superstar abused by a jealous boyfriend, played by...
, where he played the jealous, abusive spouse of Ashanti. The video touched on the subject of domestic abuse. He also starred as part of the main cast in season's 4-7 of FX Network's Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
as Bart "Black Shawn" Johnston.
He made a surprise appearance at the 2010 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
alongside Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
.
Personal life
Tate is married to Tomasina 'Geneva' Parrott who was a member of the group "Dame FourDame Four
Dame Four was an R&B/Hip-Hop quartet consisting of Jamila "Mila J" Chilombo, Tomasina Parrot, Tennille Mathis, & Mercedes Nelson....
" in 2005. For most of the new millennium, Tomasina was a top dancer with Prince, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and others. They have two sons together: Myles and Zander.
English football star Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
has two sons named after Tate.
Filmography
- The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
(1985) (one episode, "Night of The Meek"): Older Brother - Hunter (1987) (One episode, "Crossfire"): Sporty's Nephew
- AmenAmen (TV series)Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen starred Hemsley as the deacon of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC in the 1980s...
(1988) (One episode, "Get Em Up, Scout"): Leshawn - 21 Jump Street21 Jump Street21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...
(1989) (One episode, "Wolly Bullies"): Young Adam Fuller - The Wonder YearsThe Wonder YearsThe Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
(1989) (One episode, "Loosiers"): Basketball Team Captain - The Women of Brewster place (1989) (TV): Sammy
- MatlockMatlock (TV series)Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
(1989) (One episode, "The Scrooge"): Street Kid #3 - New Attitude (1990) (TV): Chilly D
- Family Matters (1990–1991) (2 episodes, "Life of the Party" and "Requiem for an Urkel"): Willie Fuffner
- Clippers (1991) (TV): TJ
- Seeds of Tragedy (1991) (TV): Cornelius
- The Royal FamilyThe Royal Family (TV series)The Royal Family is an American sitcom starring Redd Foxx and Della Reese. The series was created and produced by Eddie Murphy , who had previously worked with Redd Foxx and Della Reese in the 1989 film Harlem Nights. It ran for one season on CBS from 1991-1992...
(1991–1992) (15 episodes): Curtis Royal - The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
(1992) (1 episode, "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin"): Kenny - Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
(1993): Kevin "O-Dog" Anderson - South CentralSouth Central (TV series)South Central is an American comedy-drama series that aired on the Fox network from April 5, 1994 to June 7, 1994. It was cancelled following its first season, and the airing of only 10 episodes.-Synopsis:...
(1994) (TV): Andre Mosely - The InkwellThe InkwellThe Inkwell is a 1994 romantic comedy/drama film, directed by Matty Rich. This movie stars Larenz Tate, Joe Morton, Suzzanne Douglass, Glynn Turman, and Vanessa Bell Calloway...
(1994): Drew Tate - Dead PresidentsDead PresidentsDead Presidents is a 1995 American crime film written by Michael Henry Brown and also written, produced and directed by the Hughes brothers , starring Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez, N'Bushe Wright and Bokeem Woodbine...
(1995): Anthony Curtis - Love Jones (1997): Darius Lovehall
- The PostmanThe Postman (film)The Postman is an American post-apocalyptic epic film based on the 1985 novel of the same name by David Brin. It was filmed in northeastern Washington , Fidalgo Island, Washington, central Oregon and Tucson, Arizona, and was directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars in the film...
(1997): Ford Lincoln Mercury - Why Do Fools Fall in LoveWhy Do Fools Fall in Love (film)Why Do Fools Fall in Love is an American romantic drama, directed by Gregory Nava and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is a biographical film of the brief but intense life of R&B/Rock & Roll singer Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the pioneering rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & the...
(1998): Frankie LymonFrankie LymonFranklin Joseph "Frankie" Lymon was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group, The Teenagers. The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid teens... - Love Come DownLove Come Down"Love Come Down" is a hit single by Evelyn "Champagne" King. It was produced by Morrie Brown and written by Kashif. "Love Come Down" was the first single culled from her multi-platinum, number-one R&B album, Get Loose . In the U.S., it reached number one on the R&B and dance charts and number...
(2000): Neville Carter - Biker BoyzBiker BoyzBiker Boyz is a 2003 film about a group of underground motorcycle drag racers. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Luke, Meagan Good, and Larenz Tate and is written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood...
(2003): Wood - A Man ApartA Man ApartA Man Apart is a 2003 action-thriller-drama film directed by F. Gary Gray and released by New Line Cinema. The film stars Vin Diesel and Larenz Tate. The story follows undercover DEA agent Sean Vetter who is on a vendetta to take down a mysterious drug lord named Diablo after his wife is murdered...
(2003): Demetrius Hicks - CrashCrash (2004 film)Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
(2004): Peter Waters - RayRay (film)Ray is a 2004 biographical film focusing on 30 years of the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was directed by Taylor Hackford and starred Jamie Foxx in the title role; Foxx received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.Charles was set to...
(2004): Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend... - 187 Ride or Die187 Ride or Die187 Ride or Die is a video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed and published by Ubisoft. In order to become "top dog" of the game the player must race and defeat opponents through a variety of different stages all set in Los Angeles's infamous South Central region.The game's title comes...
(2005) (Video Game): Buck (Voice) - WaterfrontWaterfront (TV series)Waterfront is a television drama set in Providence, Rhode Island that was originally scheduled to be a midseason replacement on CBS in 2007, but was shelved by the network in 2006 before any of its five completed episodes had aired. The series was produced by Warner Bros...
(2006) (6 episodes): Marcus - Waist DeepWaist DeepWaist Deep is a 2006 drama-action film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good. It is loosely based on the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, including some similar subplots including the two main characters on the road, trying to avoid police, and committing bank...
(2006): Lucky - Love MonkeyLove MonkeyLove Monkey is a television series created by Michael Rauch and based on a book of the same name, by Kyle Smith. It starred Tom Cavanagh as a 30-something, single, record executive who navigated the tumultuous and highly amusing waters of work and dating in New York City.Its first episode aired on...
(2006) (8 episodes): Shooter Cooper - Blue Blood (2008) (TV)
- Rescue MeRescue Me (TV series)Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
(2007–2011) (TV): Bart "Black Shawn" Johnston - JustifiedJustified (TV series)Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...
(1 episode; For Blood or Money): Clinton (uncredited)