SOUTH AFRICA'S TV WEBSITE
SIGN IN SEARCH MENU
SOUTH AFRICA'S TV WEBSITE


Alan Dale

Full / Real Name: Alan Hugh Dale
Born: 06 May 1947 (78 years old)
Gender: Male

Rate:

8.8

Add to Actor Favourites

Bio

Alan Dale is a New Zealand actor who is well known for several regular and recurring roles in Australian and US television soap operas and drama series.

Career

1980s

Dale first became widely recognised through a three-and-a-half year stint playing the bad-tempered and enigmatic Dr. John Forrest in Australian soap opera The Young Doctors.

After The Young Doctors he was cast as the lead in the Grundy serial, Possession, but the series was not a success.

Dale then played the key continuing role of Jim Robinson in soap opera Neighbours. He continued with the role of Jim for eight years, from 1985 until 1993.

In addition to being successful in Australia, both The Young Doctors and Neighbours also became popular in the United Kingdom. During his run in Neighbours he also acted in horror movie Houseboat Horror (1989).

1990s

Dale relocated to Los Angeles, California where he continued his acting career. There he appeared in many well known television series including American Dreams, ER, JAG, The West Wing and NCIS.

2000s

Dale played the "Toothpick Man" in three episodes of The X-Files, including the series finale. He then took the recurring role of Vice President of the United States Jim Prescott for several episodes of the second season of 24.

That year he played the guest role of Romulan Praetor Hiren in Star Trek: Nemesis.

In 2003, Dale guest starred on the FOX summer TV series, The O.C. playing Caleb Nichol, a wealthy tycoon and father of Kirsten Cohen and Hailey Nichol (Kelly Rowan and Amanda Righetti) and grandfather of Seth (Adam Brody).

The producers saw that the character had further potential, and was made into a recurring, and then regular character in the series.

After his role in The O.C. ended, Dale appeared in the second season finale of Lost, as the wealthy father of Penny, Desmond's ex-fiance, in one of Desmond's flashbacks.

It was revealed that Dale's character had intercepted all of Desmond's letters to Penny from prison in order to cut him out of her life, and he offered Desmond a large sum of money to stay away from her.

Desmond in turn refused and entered into a race around the world sponsored by Dale's character. Desmond's boat would crash during the race in a storm on the island.

Coincidentally, Desmond's boat is registered in Newport Beach, CA - the posh Orange County township in which Dale's character on The O.C. lived.

As of 2006, he is appearing as the patriarch of the embattled business everyone wants to run on the TV series Ugly Betty. He plays Bradford Meade, the owner of posh magazine company "Meade", and is the father of eccentric Daniel Meade.

Personal Life

When he was 21 he married Claire Dale, and had 2 children, Simon and Matthew Dale. Both are involved in the entertainment industry, as a radio announcer at Kiss 100 and writer/actor/musician respectively.

This first marriage ended in divorce in 1979. During the marriage Alan lived in Auckland but after the divorce moved to Sydney.

Since April 8 1990 he has been married to the 1986 Miss Australia, Tracey Pearson. He has two children from this marriage as well.


Television Roles

Show

Character

Vice President Jim Prescott

Vice President Jim Prescott

Captain Andrews

Emmett Harrington

Ken Bocklage

Lloyd Alan Philips Jr.

Carl Logan

Richard Margolin

Canadian Consulate

General Edward Riesen

General Edward Riesen

John Ellis

John Ellis

John Ellis

Al Patterson

Metcalfe

President Morse

Emmet

Jonathan Strauss

NCIS Director Tom Morrow

Judge Joshua Koehler

Charles Widmore

Charles Widmore

Charles Widmore

Charles Widmore

Charles Widmore

NCIS Director Tom Morrow

NCIS Director Tom Morrow

NCIS Director Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

King George / Albert Spencer

King George / Albert Spencer

King George / Albert Spencer

Ulrich Kohl

Colonial Governor Borman

Senator Eaton

Senator Eaton

Michael Wilhelm

Alfred

Caleb Nichol

Caleb Nichol

Judge Robert Brenford

Secretary of Commerce Mitch Bryce

Toothpick Man

Dr. Aaron Copley

Bradford Meade

Bradford Meade

James Kelvin

Sid


LATEST ARTICLES

Generations: The Legacy Teasers - July 2025

Pele is baffled by a mysterious bag of cash and Kea is shocked by what the inyanga wants them to do.


New on TV today: Monday 9 June 2025

Medical drama Doc is new on M-Net and HISTORY gets to grips with Hell on Earth: WWII.


New on TV today: Sunday 8 June 2025

Ocean with David Attenborough drops on Disney+ and Nat Geo Wild explores The Secret Life of Orcas.


New on TV today: Saturday 7 June 2025

HGTV spinoff Bargain Block: Bargain Buys begins and Yash'ingoma 3 is new on Mzansi Magic Music.


On Carte Blanche: Vultures poisoned in vicious poaching attack

83 lives have been saved after one of South Africa's worst wildlife poisoning events.


New on TV today: Friday 6 June 2025

Battlefields SA debuts on HISTORY and blood-soaked K-Drama action series Mercy For None drops on Netflix.


Skeem Saam character portrait: Lesego Marakalla as Rachel Kunutu

Classic details on this comeback kid, with pix from Skeem Saam's archives.


New on TV today: Thursday 5 June 2025

Three shows start on M-Net as BBC Earth explores Pompeii's Secret Underworld.


Sweet Diva Teasers - June 2025

Shots fired! Maria walks in on Régis and Jô in the middle of the night, kissing half-naked.


Official trailer: Ryan Reynolds sides with critter Underdogs

His fascination with misfits extends from his football club to these crazies.

LATEST SITE ACTIVITY


More activity at TVSA Central



LATEST SOAPIE TEASERS



LATEST SOAPIE TEASERS





×
×

You browser doesn't have Flash, Silverlight, Gears, BrowserPlus or HTML5 support.