Tate Donovan
Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian, and television director from Tenafly, New Jersey. He studied at the University of Southern California and has been active in show business since 1984.
Donovan is best known for playing Tom Shayes in Damages and Jimmy Cooper in The O.C. He also voiced Hercules in the 1997 Disney film and the related TV series, and appeared in films such as Love Potion No. 9, Good Night, and Good Luck, Argo, and Rocketman. On TV, he has had roles in Hostages, 24: Live Another Day, Friends, and No Ordinary Family, and he began directing TV episodes in the mid-2000s.
He grew up in a Catholic Irish family, the youngest of six. His father was a surgeon and his mother, Eileen, was of Irish descent. He attended Dwight-Englewood School and Tenafly High School before going to USC.
In addition to acting, Donovan has directed episodes of several TV series, produced 30 for 30 Shorts (winning an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series), and performed on stage. He has appeared on Broadway in Picnic and Amy’s View and has done Off-Broadway and regional theater work, including Good People at the Manhattan Theatre Club.
Donovan has been linked romantically to Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston and has been married twice—Corinne Kingsbury (2005–2008) and Corry Scheuerman (from 2015). He is a supporter of Barack Obama and has pursued music with the McGuffins, a traditional Irish band, where he plays the bodhrán and fiddle.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:12 (CET).