The trio soon realized they could put in the effort that would translate into a tangible form of success by starting off with any small role they could get. Starting in 1985, Tate and his brothers began to receive more serious roles. Tate made his first significant television debut in an episode of "The New Twilight Zone". Tate continued acting while he attended Palmdale High School with his brothers until graduating in 1993.

Career

Larenz Tate is perhaps best known for playing the character of "Peter Waters" in Paul Haggis' 2004 film, Crash which focused on the racial and social tension in Los Angeles. Tate's character was one of two black carjackers from the hood who was killed by a white cop named "Officer Tom Hansen" in a misunderstanding. The film became one of Tate's most critically acclaimed films and also featured huge stars such as Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena, Jennifer Esposito, Terrence Howard Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Ryan Phillippe, Thandie Newton, and Brendan Fraser. In "Crash", Tate was able to impress people with his excellent and realistic performance.

Tate is also known for the character of "Kevin 'O-Dog' Anderson" in Menace II Society. In 1993, the Allen and Albert Hughes directorial debut became known for its scenes of violence, profanity, and drug-related content. Tate played a violent thug who shoots two Korean store owners after an argument. The story followed Tate's character and his relationship with the hero of the film, "Kaydee 'Cainee' Lawson". None of his roles has left such an impression as his role in "Menace II Society" where his role of a heartless thug was a jaw-dropper during the time of its release.

Larenz Tate has been able to earn a tremendous name in the acting industry, thanks to his rich acting prowess. Tate's career didn't start off in the big leagues, it took several years for him to build his reputation and hone his talent. Some of his earliest appearances were in television series like "21 Jump Street" and "The Wonder Years". In 1989, Tate was cast as a member of the CBS sitcom "The Royal Family" which starred Redd Foxx and Della Reese. The show came to an early end with the premature passing of Foxx. Tate also did some voice-over work in the video game "187 Ride or Die" where he voices the main character, Buck.

Tate would later appear in a family comedy called "The Inkwell" in 1994. The following year he teamed up with the Hughes brothers again for the 1995 film "Dead Presidents". In 1997, Tate found himself back on television with a brief appearance in the hit show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the episode "That's No Lady, That's My Cousin". Tate is a very versatile actor and over his career, he has acted in everything from violent action films to romantic dramas such as "Love Jones". Tate went on to act in "The Postman" and the Frankie Lymon biopic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" where he played a character named "Lymon".

In 2000, Tate appeared in the film "Love Come Down" but he struggled to find roles in successful films for a short period. The next time Tate appeared on the big screen was opposite Laurence Fishburne in an adrenaline-packed film called "Biker Boyz" in 2003. The same year he appeared in a film called "A Man Apart" before taking his second career boosting role in 2004's "Crash". The same year he portrayed the music legend Quincy Jones in "Ray" with Jamie Fox. In 2006, Tate appeared in the film Waist Deep and throughout the next couple of years had periodically appeared in music videos such as R&B singer Ashanti's 2003 music video "Rain on Me."

Wife and Married Life

Tate was happily married in 2006 to his wife Tomasina Parrott. The couple have three children together.

In an interview, Tate was asked by a host "Now, working with such beautiful leading ladies like Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nia Long, How does your wife keep you grounded?" Tate answered, "She keeps me grounded to take out the trash" before getting serious and saying "No no, she is amazing. There's nothing like being able to bring your woman some breakfast in bed and you gotta do it." Tate has a great sense of humor and appears very grounded in his interviews. After a short break from acting to start his family, Tate began appearing sporadically in films from 2008 to 2019.

Tate has kept his personal life very private and he has avoided scandal despite a long career in Hollywood. He is even managing to successfully raise his beautiful family while maintaining his acting career making him an exemplary star. Tate has continued to find success both in film and on television and is slated to appear in several upcoming projects such as M.D. is for Mr. Doula which is in pre-production in 2020.