Tate Buckley Donovan, a talented individual, began his television career while still in his teenage years, often cast as angst-ridden high schoolers in made-for-TV films such as Not My Kid (1985) and Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (1987).
Born to a large family in Tenafly, New Jersey, Donovan is the son of Eileen Frances (McAllister) and John Timothy Donovan, a surgeon, and is of Irish descent.
He moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the television industry while attending college at USC, where he met several fellow actors who became longtime friends, such as Grant Heslov and George Clooney, with whom he still parties to this day.
Although not as active as his friend Clooney in the romantic arena, confirmed bachelor Donovan has been engaged to both film star Sandra Bullock and television icon Jennifer Aniston, and has dated a diverse group of women, including socialite Plum Sikes, stage actress Whitney Allen, and television actress Lauren Graham.
After graduating from college, Donovan gained prominent notice for his portrayal of the charismatic yet self-centered co-pilot in the ensemble period drama Memphis Belle (1990).
Prior to that, Donovan had appeared as the cocky elder camper in SpaceCamp (1986) and as a recovering drug addict in Clean and Sober (1988).
His first leading role was in the charming but minor Love Potion No. 9 (1992),costarring Bullock, to whom he became engaged (their relationship ended in 1994).
He then appeared in several independent features as sullen, withdrawn types before following up with a role in the Disney family comedy, Holy Matrimony (1994).
He returned to Disney for perhaps his highest-profile effort to date, the animated Hercules (1997),for which he provided the voice for the adult version of the title character.
His small-screen work has included a Cable ACE-nominated turn in the HBO series Vietnam War Story II (1988) (V).
He joined the parade of film stars who turned to sitcoms, heading the cast of Partners (1995) opposite Jon Cryer.
When that failed to catch on, he joined with his "Memphis Belle" co-stars Eric Stoltz and Reed Diamond to play three brothers in a memorable episode of NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and had a recurring role as a client and potential love interest for Calista Flockhart's titular lawyer Ally McBeal (1997).
Switching networks, he had a recurring role as a love interest opposite his then-girlfriend Jennifer Aniston in NBC's Friends (1994) and donned clerical garb to play the priest son of a large Irish Catholic family in the short-lived NBC drama Trinity (1998).
More recently, he has appeared as a guest star in several shows such as The Guardian (2001),as well as Mister Sterling (2003) and in the new show The O.C. (2003).
