Tate Donovan Movies
With his handsome, everyman looks and strong abilities on stage and screen, actor Tate Donovan has endured to become one of the most talented actors that no one recognizes. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing; with previous girlfriends such as Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston and solid performances in Clean and Sober (1988) and Memphis Belle (1990), it's readily apparent that he has the charm to match his talent.A Tenafly, NJ, native who took up acting in his teens, Donovan's early screen appearances came with troubled teen roles in such efforts as Not My Kid and Into Thin Air (both 1985), as well as a memorable appearance in the 1986 sci-fi adventure Space Camp. A move to Los Angeles found Donovan closer to the world of film production while he pursued his higher education at U.S.C., and it was there that he made the acquaintance of longtime friends such as George Clooney. A post-collegiate role in Memphis Belle (1990) proved that Donovan was indeed honing his skills in front of the camera to good effect, and following an appearance as a recovering drug addict in Clean and Sober (1988), he took his first leading role in the 1992 romantic comedy Love Potion No. 9.
Though a relationship with that film's co-star, Sandra Bullock, would result in an engagement, the couple parted ways two short years later, and Donovan began a series of appearances in such art-house efforts as Ethan Frome (1993). A role in the Buena Vista comedy Holy Matrimony (1994) found Donovan getting in good with the folks at Disney, and in three short years he would be providing the voice for the eponymous character in the animated Disney adventure Hercules. More success came in the late '90s with appearances in the popular television series Ally McBeal and Friends, and in addition to a memorable appearance in Homicide: Life on the Street, Donovan gained even more exposure when he was spotted around Tinseltown with high-profile squeeze Jennifer Aniston. Though such later efforts as The Office Party (2000) and Exposed (2002) went largely unseen, Donovan returned to the small screen in 2003 with supporting roles in the series The O.C. and Mister Sterling. Over the coming years, Donovan would continue to appear in several projects, including movies like The Pacifier, Shooter, and Argo, as well as TV series like The O.C. and Damages. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Season 2 follows cutthroat legal do-gooder Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) as she goes after the murderous CEO of a rapacious energy company, while Patty's no-longer-naive associate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) goes after her because she thinks Patty tried to have her killed. Guiding Ellen in this effort are two FBI agents (Mario Van Peebles, Glenn Kessler) out to entrap Patty in a bribery scheme. Two of the ways they try to get to her are through her second-in-command, Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), and Uncle Pete (Tom Aldredge), her Mr. Fix-it (with no questions asked). Meanwhile, Ellen meets a sympathetic, if secretive man named Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant) at a grief-counseling session, and they're immediately attracted to each other. What Ellen doesn't know is Wes has ties to Rick Messer (David Costabile), the rogue cop Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) hired in Season 1 to murder her fiancé. As for Frobisher, Patty's first-season target, he's now her uneasy ally in her effort to take down Walter Kendrick (John Doman), the CEO of Ultima National Resources. Kendrick is accused by scientist Daniel Purcell (William Hurt) of knowingly polluting land around a UNR facility in West Virginia. Purcell's wife is soon murdered and he's charged with the crime. As it happens, Purcell once had an affair with Patty but now he's secretly seeing Kendrick's lawyer, Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden). Patty's husband, Phil (Michael Nouri), who's having an affair as well, gets mixed up in the UNR affair when he's offered the post of U.S. energy secretary. Working for Kendrick are math whiz Finn Garrity (Kevin Corrigan), a cocaine-snorting, price-rigging energy trader, and the Deacon (Darrell Hammond), whose dirty work is less cerebral. ~ Paul Droesch, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, (more)
Season 1 of this dense and time-tangled Glenn Close legal thriller begins with a flash-forward: %Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), a brilliant and, at that moment, very bedraggled Manhattan lawyer, has just discovered the bludgeoned body of her fiancé, medical resident David Connor (Noah Bean). An attempt on Ellen's life is made as well, and both attacks stem from her association with Patty Hewes (Close), a power litigator who uses devilish tactics to fight on the side of angels. Six months prior to David's death, Ellen joins Hewes & Associates to work on a class-action suit brought by former employees of Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), a corporate shark whom they accuse of selling his company---and their pensions---out from under them. As it happens, David's sister Katie (Anastasia Griffith), a talented young chef, catered a Frobisher event in Florida the night before he dumped his company's stock. Katie also had a fling that night with waiter Gregory Malina (Peter Facinelli), who is later befriended by Frobisher's lawyer, Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek), whose folksy Southern charm masks demons. As the Frobisher case plays out over the season, Ellen is arrested for David's murder; Patty's loyal No. 2 at the firm, Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), struggles to emerge from under her shadow; and a number of characters emerge from the shadows, notably "Uncle Pete" McKee (Tom Aldredge), Patty's avuncular Mr. Fix-it (and her actual uncle), George Moore (Peter Riegert), a former SEC official with ties to Frobisher, and freelancing NYPD detective Rick Messer (David Costabile). ~ Paul Droesch, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, (more)
Devastated after being fired by director Woody Allen, actress Annabelle Gurwitch sets out on a soul-searching journey to discover whether getting the axe was the best or worst thing ever to happen in her professional career. Anyone who has been in the workforce for an extended amount of time has likely been there -- one minute you've got a good-paying job that you love, and the next minute you're standing in the unemployment line. When Annabelle Gurwitch got fired by the legendary director of such classics as Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo, she thought her career was over. Upon turning to her many showbiz pals for advice, however, Gurwitch quickly discovered that she was not alone. In this documentary, Gurwitch enlists the aid of filmmakers Chris Bradley and Kyle La Brache in traveling the country to interview such celebrities as Tim Allen, David Cross, Sarah Silverman, and Jeff Garlin to find out exactly how they dealt with the heavy hand of rejection. Additional interviews with GM workers in Lansing, MI, who were handed their pink slips offer some tales that are tragically comedic and others that seems to reinforce the old adage about one door closing and another door opening, while a visit to job fairs and "outplacement services" show just what the jobless endure on a day-to-day basis. Conversations with the downsizers as well as the downsized offer viewers a chance to explore the topic from both sides as host Gurwitch reminds viewers that sometimes the greatest success stories are born of failure. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Allen, Andy Borowitz, (more)
- 2005
Based on a comic book series created by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, the made-for-cable Painkiller Jane stars Emmanuelle Vaugier as Jane Elizabeth Browning, a young Marine captain who is the sole survivor when her Special Ops force is exposed to a biochemical "retrovirus" weapon after raiding an illegal lab. It turns out that the retrovirus has endowed Jane with miraculous self-healing powers, making her virtually invulnerable. Unfortunately, she isn't given much of an opportunity to exercise this unique gift before she is locked up in a military hospital on orders from government shrink Lucas Knight (Tate Donovan). Unwilling to act as guinea pig for an upcoming series of medical experiments, Jane escapes her confines and becomes a fugitive, not only from the government but also from a secret conspiratorial cartel which numbers Dr. Knight (aka Lucas Insley) among its members! She spends the rest of the film thwarting villains and writing wrongs (usually in Bionic Woman-style slow motion action scenes), with the help of her new cohort, handsome thief Nick (Eric Dane). Former Shaft star Richard Roundtree is seen as Jane's Marine mentor Col. Watts, who reluctantly assumes the "Inspector Javert" role in tracking her down on behalf of the authorties. Billed as an "original event" when it first aired December 9, 2005 on the Sci-Fi Channel, the entertaining but highly derivative Painkiller Jane has "two-hour series pilot" written all over it. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Vaugier, Richard Roundtree, (more)
- 2005
Based on a novel by Luanne Rice, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production begins in Manhattan at Christmastime. Christopher "Christy" Byrne (Tate Donovan), a Nova Scotian Christmas tree farmer, has arrived in the Big Apple to sell his wares, assisted by his teenaged children Danny (Michael Mitchell) and Bridget (Courtney Jines). After an argument between Christy and Danny sparked by the boy's desire to become a photographer rather than a farmer, Danny runs away, and is eventually befriended by widow Catherine O'Mara (Anne Heche), who had earlier refused to by a tree from the Byrnes family. One year later, a chance meeting brings Catherine and Christy face to face, leading to an extremely tense situation that can be alleviated only by Christy's acceptance of Danny's life goals--and by Catherine overcoming the grief attending the loss of her husband. Weaving throughout the narrative is a "silver bells" promotional stunt staged by the museum for which Catherine works, a stutnt which will (inevitably!) figure prominently in the tearful finale. Silver Bells premiered November 27, 2005, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anne Heche, Tate Donovan, (more)
Hook up with what's coming down as the Core Four romances of Ryan-and-Marissa and Seth-and-Summer may (or may not) go from very over to very on, Sandy and Kirsten face choices that could trainwreck their 20-year marriage, felon (and Ryan's brother) Trey gives Newport living a try, Julie's lurid past comes back to haunt her, and other new hunks and hotties become part of the coastal scene. Live. Laugh. Lie. Cheat. Grow. Share. Connive. Love. In California's beach paradise, they do everything under the sun.
- Starring:
- Peter Gallagher, Benjamin McKenzie, (more)
Destined to run an impressive 27 hour-long episodes (as opposed to the usual 22), season one of The O.C. wastes little time in setting up its premise: trouble-prone teenager Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), booted out of his Chino home and apparently foredoomed to a life of crime, is "rescued" by idealistic pro bono defense attorney Sanford "Sandy" Cohen (Peter Gallagher). Over the initial protests of his former beauty-queen wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), Sandy invites Ryan to live in the pool house of the Cohens' lavish Newport Beach home in California's very upscale Orange County. Quickly making friends with the Cohen's intellectual-loner son, Seth (Adam Brody), Ryan also makes a good impression on his attractive next-door neighbor Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) -- much to the disgust of Marissa's jock boyfriend, Luke Ward (Chris Carmack). Unfolding in a serial-like fashion, the remainder of the season details the disintegrating marriage of Marissa's parents, Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) and his avaricious wife, Julie (Melinda Clarke) (who later has an affair with the cast-off Luke); Sandy's job switch, which causes friction in his relationship with Kirsten vis-à-vis his sexy new law partner Rachel Hoffman (Bonnie Somerville); the decision by Sandy and Jimmy to jointly purchase Newport Beach's favorite restaurant, the Lighthouse; Marissa's self-destructive behavior during a vacation in Mexico, and her ill-fated association with the duplicitous Oliver Trask (Taylor Handley); Seth's dilemma as he tries to choose between two girlfriends, Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong); and the disruptive machinations of Kirsten's high-rolling father, Caleb (Alan Dale), and her hedonistic sister, Hailey (Amanda Rhigetti). The cliffhanger climax of The O.C.'s first season is dominated by two major events: the wedding of the series' two most selfish and mercenary characters, and some devastating news delivered by Theresa (Navi Rawat), Ryan's former girlfriend from his Chino days. ~ Rovi
- 2000
Stacy Cochran directs this loose, understated comedy about football and celebrity. Pete Barnes (James LeGros) is in desperate straits -- he lost his job as a sports reporter, his married girlfriend has had enough of him, and his muckraking exposé on the seamy side of the NFL has saddled him with a handful of lawsuits. In spite of this, Pete wins an assignment from a loyal editor for a tabloid feature on 19-year old football wunderkind Spanks Voley (Desmond Harrington). When Pete catches up with him, Spanks is playing the lead in a low-budget flick about football; that is until a mysterious assailant rearranges the jock's face, forcing him to drop from the shoot. As Pete starts digging around, he soon learns that Spanks is not what he appears. His murky past is populated with two angry ex-wives; a trail of changed names, ages, and careers; and vague accusations of domestic abuse. This film was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- James LeGros, Amber Valletta, (more)
- 1998
In this TV family drama series set in NYC's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, Eileen McCallister (Jill Clayburgh) is the matriarch who oversees the working-class Irish-Catholic McCallister clan, along with her husband Simon McCallister (John Spencer). The focus is on their five grown children -- priest Kevin (Tate Donovan), union organizer Liam (Sam Trammell), police detective Bobby (Justin Louis), addicted Amanda (Bonnie Root), and bond trader Fiona (Charlotte Ross). A sixth sibling died at some point in the past. Combining marriage melodramas, pregnancies, politics, police procedures, and spiritual struggles, this family soap opera is a slightly overcooked Irish stew. Filmed in New York, the series premiered October 16, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jill Clayburgh, John Spencer, (more)
- 1998
Several months' worth of a difficult pregnancy may transform the vegetarian Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) into a voracious meat eater; somehow this forces Joey to become a temporary vegetarian. More apropos to the title of this episode, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) throws a fake farewell party for Emily (Helen Baxendale). It's all part of Rachel's scheme to see her dream boy Joshua (Tate Donovan) outside the workplace. Love that cheerleader outfit! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
Now that he has asked Emily (Helen Baxendale) to marry him, Ross (David Schwimmer) asks Monica (Courteney Cox) to pick up his intended's wedding dress. Meanwhile, the pregnant Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) acquires a wedding gown of her own. The upshot of all this is a pair of roommates who rather enjoy the sensation of being bridally garbed. Later on, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) brings her issues to the table as a result of a turn-down from Joshua (Tate Donovan). And Chandler can't sleep thanks to Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) snoring. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
Pregnant Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is unprepared to pick names for the unborn triplets -- not even one of them. She finally comes up with a name that is bound to please one of her friends and upset another. Meanwhile, Emily (Helen Baxendale) offers to take Susan (Jessica Hecht) on a tour of London, driving Ross (David Schwimmer) to distraction because Susan originally stole his ex-wife, Carol, away from him. But what does this all have to do with Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) new dress -- or with her boyfriend Joshua's (Tate Donovan) fear of barnyard birds? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
To prove to Emily (Helen Baxendale) that he has what it takes, Ross (David Schwimmer) plays rugby with some of Emily's English friends. After a few grueling rounds of pain, Ross gets a break when Emily lets him in on his opponents' vulnerabilities. Elsewhere, Chandler (Matthew Perry) concocts an outlandish job-transfer story to avoid Janice (Maggie Wheeler). And Monica (Courteney Cox) just can't figure out the function of that "useless" electrical switch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is slated to begin work on Charlton Heston's new movie -- but he hasn't had time to take a shower, something he really, desperately needs to do. Meanwhile, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is still stuck on Joshua (Tate Donovan). And Ross (David Schwimmer), set up on a blind date with Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) boss' niece Emily (Helen Baxendale, in her first series appearance), ends up spending the weekend with the girl. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) demotion at her job leads to a whole new range of emotional commitments. Chandler (Matthew Perry) has trouble believing that Kathy (Paget Brewster) is just acting during a torrid sex scene in a play. And the possibility that Joey (Matt LeBlanc) will become a social lion in his new apartment leaves Monica (Courteney Cox) feeling a bit left out. Tate Donovan makes his first series appearance as Joshua. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Seduced by the pastoral existence of a vacation, a doctor decides to remain and savor the slow pace of life in another dimension. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that even his newfound paradise is not totally devoid of chaos. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tate Donovan, Ming-Na Wen, (more)
The first season of Ally McBeal centers around Ally's (Calista Flockhart) introduction to a law firm as full of eccentric characters as it is legal files. Not only must Ally adjust to her former high-school sweetheart's choice to marry another, but she also has to learn how to cope with having both him and his wife as co-workers. This season was a highly successful test of Ally McBeal's unique format, which emphasized musical numbers and special effect-laden flights of fancy. Despite initial low expectations from the network, Ally McBeal became a sleeper hit, owing much of its success to its originality, incorporation of truly unique characters, and its expert combination of modern issues of political-correctness with age-old matters of the heart. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
- 1997
Ally faces a moral dilemma when she's assigned to defend Richard's partner, who was arrested for solicitation. Meanwhile, Richard tries to use Ally to snag a client. ~ TV Guide, Rovi
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
- 1997
Georgia asks Ally to work on an age-discrimination case involving a TV newsanchor (Kate Jackson). ~ TV Guide, Rovi
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
- 1997
In the series pilot, Ally (Calista Flockhart) goes to work for a former classmate (Greg Germann). ~ TV Guide, Rovi
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
- 1997
Pembleton (Andre Braugher) is impressed by reporter Elizabeth Wu (Joan Chen), who is covering his investigation of a drug-related cop killing. He is, however, less than impressed when the inquisitive Wu proves to be a monumental nuisance. Elsewhere, Kellerman's (Reed Diamond) wild country-boy brothers Drew (Eric Stoltz) and Greg (Tate Donovan) show up in Baltimore, insisting that he return to Miami and join them in setting up a charter-boat service. What his brothers have neglected to tell them is that they are on the lam from a pair of murderous bookies -- and that they have stolen a valuable souvenir baseball. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1997
Ally's racked with guilt when she's asked to give the eulogy at the funeral of a law-school prof with whom she once had an affair. ~ TV Guide, Rovi
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
- 1991
Joey (Crispin Glover) thinks he's a writer, even though he's never written (or published) anything. He has advertised this "fact" to everyone he knows, but particularly to himself. He has an acquaintance, Marty (Matthew Hutton), who is mute but who writes like a dream. Of course, people try to ignore him the way they do every other "handicapped" person, and his writings go unnoticed. One day, Joey runs into a literary agent and hands him some of Marty's poetry. When the agent assumes that the work is Joey's, he allows him to believe that. Incredibly, (since poetry is not a big publishing moneymaker), the agent hands Joey some money as an advance on a book. Unable and unwilling to end his deception, Joey accepts the cash. Sooner or later, Joey is going to have to get hold of some more poems, though, and he may even have to face the truth about what he has done. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Crispin Glover, Steven Schub, (more)
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