Producer of 'Bronzeville' Podcast

Lahmard Tate | Biography

Got His First Break At the Age of 17 in the Television Series 'Hill Street'

• By Priya
• Update : April 08, 2022

---

Lahmard Tate is an actor best known for his roles in Barbershop and Don't Be a Menace and Rocky Balboa.

Short Bio

Lahmard Tate is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is prominently recognized for playing the role of Billy in the 2002 movie Barbershop. He also played the role of Ashtray's (Shawn Wayans) father in the 1996 comedy Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. 

Tate has appeared in over 30 films and TV series in a career spanning over three decades. He has been involved in the movie business since the late 80s. His first mainstream role was in 1987 in the TV series Hill Street Blues. He was only 17 then. 

Other projects Tate has appeared in include Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious BIG (2018), Method & Red (2004), Moesha (2000-2001), All American (2019-2020), etc. In addition to acting, he's also provided his voice for several video game characters, including Crysis (2007) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Lahmard Tate Is The Middle Brother Of Actors Larron And Larenz Tate

Lahmard J. Tate was born on 30 October 1970 in Chicago, Illinois. He has two brothers, Larron Tate and Larenz Tate, both of whom are actors and producers. Tate moved to California from Chicago with his brothers and his parents, Larry and Peggy Tate, in 1984 when he was only 14. His parents then enrolled him and his brothers at the Inner City Cultural Center in a drama program.

Initially, Tate and his brothers were intrigued to meet young girls at the center. But they approached it more seriously after seeing their classmate Malcolm-Jamal Warner was cast as "Theo Huxtable" on the 1984 sitcom The Cosby Show. From that point on, the siblings started getting many minor roles.

He Did Minor Roles In His Early Acting Career

Lahmard J. Tate started acting at a young age. At just 17, he got his first break into the mainstream when he got a role in the 1987 TV series Hill Street, the decade's well-known crime drama. In the same year, he appeared in a minor role in the film Barfly.

Soon after, Tate started getting minor roles and small appearances in different films and series. He appeared in the 1990 films Across the Tracks and Night of the Cyclone. Tate also had a role in the 1994 erotic-romantic drama Jason's Lyric, starring Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett Smith, Forest Whitaker, and Eddie Griffin. 

In addition, he had TV appearances on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Street Justice, and Roc. 

He Started Getting Significant Roles During The 1990s

However, it was during the '90s; that Lahmard started getting more prominent roles in more notable movies. He was one of the stars of Panther in 1995. It was the first-ever feature film to recount the narrative of the Black Panther Party, a Black Power political party formed by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

The following year, the actor appeared in the movie Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, switching from political drama to comedy. The film, which was a parody of contemporary American movies, became a box office success. The film spoofs coming-of-age hood films like Boyz n the Hood (1991), Jungle Fever (1991), Juice (1992), South Central (1992), Menace II Society (1993), Poetic Justice (1993), Dead Presidents (1995), Friday (1995), and more.

He Portrayed The Role of Ashtray's Father in 'Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a crime comedy parody film released on 12 January 1996. Directed by Paris Barclay and produced by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the film stars Shawn and Marlon Wayans, who also co-wrote the film with Phil Beauman. 

The film follows Ashtray (Shawn Wayans) as he returns to the inner city to live with his father (Tate). Ashtray's father is Ashtray's temperamental role model, who passes out sage advice to his son. However, he tries to survive living in the hood with the help of his psychotic, gun-toting cousin Loc Dog (Marlon Wayans), pot-smoking foul-mouthed Grandma (Helen Martin), and friends Preach (Chris Spencer) and Crazy Legs (Suli McCullough). 

Crazy stuff happens in the film. For instance, Ashtray says his father is only "a couple of years older" than him. Some references were made to Ashtray possibly being older than he was, such as Ashtray attending a party that his father is not old enough to attend. 

He Appeared As Billy In The Acclaimed Film 'Barbershop'

In 2002, he was a part of yet another successful black comedy film, Barbershop, featuring Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Ealy, and Eve. 

Barbershop is a comedy-drama about a day in the life of a South Side Chicago barbershop. It follows Calvin Palmer Jr. (Ice Cube), who inherited the struggling barbershop business from his deceased father. Calvin decides he has had enough of trying to keep the barbershop on a cold winter day. He then sells the shop for $20,000 to a greedy loan shark, Lester Wallace (Keith David), who secretly plans to turn the shop into a strip club. 

Calvin quickly realizes how essential the barbershop is to the local community. He tries to buy back the shop but finds that Lester has doubled the shop's price. He then struggles with the notion that he just sold it out. 

Meanwhile, he uses his $20,000 from Lester to bail one of the barbers, Ricky (Michael Ealy), out of jail after being arrested for alleged theft of an ATM. However, it is revealed that Ricky's cousin J.D. (Anthony Anderson) committed the crime. 

Tate portrays the role of Billy in Barbershop, who takes the ATM to Lester's place without his knowledge. Later, the police arrest J.D. and Billy. Calvin and Ricky see the ATM and return it to the police. They get $50,000 as a reward, and they repurchase the barbershop. The barbershop then reopens with even better business than before.

The film was produced by Mark Brown, Robert Teitel, and George Tillman Jr., directed by Tim Story, and co-written by Brown, Don D. Scott, and Marshall Todd from a story by Brown. The film was released on 13 September 2002.

The movie received rave reviews from critics, and the producers Teitel and Tillman told Blackfilm.com in 2002 that the script made the film competitive. Teitel also said that they worked hard during the production. "And we're our toughest critics. We beat each other up. The studio was ready to shoot this film like 6 months before we were and we were like 'no, no, no, no,' we have to make it perfect," he explained. "Our attitude is like, 'this is it, this is our last chance, if this doesn't work, we're not getting another one,' and I like that. I like keeping that vibe and kind of pushing one another. And for us, (another priority) is to have fun. The four of us get along so well. What you see now is how it was on set.'"

He Continued To Appear in Several Notable Movies And TV Series

As Tate's career took off, he frequently worked in notable films, series, and sitcoms with famous faces. Tate appeared in a few episodes of the 1996 sitcom Moesha as Jerome, starring Brandy Norwood. It was his first prominent role on TV. 

Tate was then cast as 'X-Cell' in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa alongside Sylvester Stallone. His other remarkable TV role includes 'Lil' Bit' in Fox's Method and Red (2004) and his portrayal of 'Duane Keith "Keefe D" Davis' in the USA Network true-crime series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious BIG (2018).

Most recently, Tate has gone back to taking up more serious roles. He had a recurring role in the 2018 CW drama All American as Flip Williams, which was inspired by the life of an acclaimed American football player Spencer Paysinger. 

He Co-starred With His Brother Larenz Tate As On-Screen Brother On 'Power' And 'Power BooK II: Ghost'

Tate also appeared alongside his brother Larenz in the Starz Network's Power and Power Book II: Ghost as Kamaal Tate. 

The real brothers played on-screen brothers on the Starz crime drama series Power and Power Book II: Ghost. Speaking to Digital Spy in November 2021, Larenz shared that his real brother playing his TV brother is "just so gratifying."

Further explaining his experience co-working with his brother on the screen, Larenz said, "We're business partners so we do a lot of things behind the scenes and producing and all that other good stuff. But to work in front of the camera to feed off of each other and to play characters that are totally different from who we are, but [then to] find the brotherly dynamic where it's seamless. And so, we're able to bring what we as brothers bring – the energy that seems just right, and I'm happy that Lahmard is a part of it, and he kicks ass on this show."

He Founded A Production Company With His Brothers

Apart from acting, Lahmard Tate is also a producer. With siblings Larenz Tate and Larron Tate, they have a production house called TateMen Entertainment, a developing multi-media organization focused on offering substance for films, TV, and computerized stages.

Speaking with ESSENCE Senior Entertainment Editor Brande Victorian during a panel discussion at the ESSENCE Hollywood House in April 2022, the trio shared about their life and career. Speaking about the production company's humble beginnings, Larenz said, "We eventually got into a space where we were able to tell our stories and our narratives – but it was not easy, and it's still not easy." He continued, "It's great when you can come in there and say 'Look, I have all these great ideas and I want to tell these stories,' but when you go into rooms where people don't look like you, or don't have your experience, it tends to fall on deaf ears."

Lahmard compounded on his brother's sentiments. He further said that "there is no ceiling in the business aspect of entertainment." He also talked about the importance of having a mission and goal to achieve success in life. 

To date, TateMen projects have produced films like Business Ethics, Deuces, and Beta Test. 

Tate has also produced and starred as 'Cordell' in the 2019 romantic-comedy Back To the Goode Life for BET Network alongside Larron Tate.

In October 2021, Lehmard took to Instagram to share a video of his brothers wishing him on his birthday. In the caption, he wrote, "Love my brothers business partners n my best friends. Grateful for the celebration of my BornDay. Respect n Salute to both @laron_tate n @larenztate."

He Produced A Podcast Series' Bronzeville'

Furthermore, Tate is the producer of Bronzeville, a scripted audio series/podcast featuring his brother Larenz Tate, Laurence Fishburne, and Tika Sumpter. According to Apple Podcasts, "Bronzeville chronicles the lives of players in the lottery games while illuminating the self-sustainability of the community's African-American residents." Academy Award and BAFTA nominee Josh Olson is the writer of Bronzeville, and the second season was released on 9 March 2021.