Image of Larenz Tate

Larenz Tate

Larenz Tate (born September 8, 1975) is an American film and television actor. Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois. He is the youngest of three siblings 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. Following appearances in such television series as 21 Jump Street 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 when Redd Foxx suddenly 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 can be seen in the latest season of FX Network's Rescue Me. Tate is married to Tomasina 'Geneva' Parrott. They have two sons together named Myles and Zander.


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Born:
Sep 8, 1975 In Chicago, Illinois, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
39
First Appeared:
In the series Hunter 1984-09-18
Latest Project:
Movie Michael 2025-04-16
Known For
Poster of Business Ethics
Poster of White Water
Poster of New Attitude
Poster of The Twilight Zone
Filmography
Movie Michael Berry Gordy 2025-04-16
Movie Business Ethics Zachery Cranston 2020-10-23
Movie Deuces Deuces 2017-04-01
Movie Girls Trip Julian Stevens 2017-07-21
Series Game of Silence Shawn Polk 2016-04-12
Movie Beta Test Max 2016-07-22
Movie Unity Narrator (voice) 2015-08-12
Movie White Water Terrance 2015-02-07
Series Power Rashad Tate 2014-06-07
Movie Gun Hill Bird Stevens 2014-07-02
Series Rush Dr. Alex Burke 2014-07-17
Movie Bill Bellamy's Ladies Night Out Comedy Tour Himself 2013-02-22
Movie Gangsta Vision: Making ‘Menace 2 Society’ 2009-09-08
Series Love Monkey Shooter Cooper 2006-01-17
Movie Waist Deep Lucky 2006-06-23
Movie Crash Peter Waters 2005-05-06
Series Rescue Me Bart 'Black Shawn' Johnston 2004-07-21
Movie Ray Quincy Jones 2004-10-29
Movie Los Angeles Plays Itself Frankie Lymon in Why Do Fools Fall In Love (archive footage) 2004-07-28
Movie Biker Boyz Wood 2003-01-31
Movie A Man Apart Demetrius Hicks 2003-04-04
Movie Love Come Down Neville Carter 2000-08-02
Movie Why Do Fools Fall In Love Frankie Lymon 1998-08-28
Movie Love Jones Darius Lovehall 1997-03-14
Movie The Postman Ford 1997-12-25
Movie Dead Presidents Anthony Curtis 1995-09-29
Movie The Inkwell Drew Tate 1994-04-22
Series South Central Andre Mosely 1994-04-05
Movie Menace II Society Kevin 'O-Dog' 1993-05-26
Movie Seeds of Tragedy Cornelius 1991-06-15
Series The Royal Family Curtis Royal 1991-09-18
Series New Attitude Chilly D 1990-08-08
Series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Kenny 1990-09-10
Movie The Women of Brewster Place Sammy 1989-03-19
Series Family Matters Unknown 1989-09-22
Series The Wonder Years Basketball Team Captain 1988-01-31
Series Matlock Unknown 1986-03-03
Series The Twilight Zone Unknown 1985-09-27
Series Hunter Unknown 1984-09-18