Who is Fred Tate? NCIS airs title card tribute
As some diehard fans of the show may be aware, Tate did have an important role behind the scenes on the CBS series, where he did an often unheralded by very important task. For years he worked as a stand-in for David McCallum, who plays of course Ducky. Stand-ins are required to make certain scenes effective and believable; just about every performer on a big-budget TV show is going to have them for various purposes.
Tate did make an on-camera appearance as Charles Harrow all the way back in season 4, and has done work on a few other film projects in the past. He was also a published author.
What’s most important to note is that almost everyone who works behind the scenes on a show like NCIS is family, and that is the result of it being on for the better part of two decades. There are people still working on the crew who were there in the very beginning, and it serves as a home away from home for so many of them. There could be babies who were born during season 1 who are now off in college! It is a crazy thing to think about in terms of the show’s overall longevity.
Title card tributes, for those unaware, are one of the best ways that any show can honor someone who was a key part of its past or present. NCIS in particular has done a good job over the years making sure that these people are remembered properly at the end of certain episodes, and these cards go on to air in repeats and on streaming services. This is a way to ensure that the memory of the dearly departed lives on behind just one particular week in time.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Tate’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. Hopefully, this tribute does serve as a form of comfort. (Photo: CBS.)
This article was written by Jessica BunBun.