Monday, December 1, 2014

Remembering Lincoln Tate

Lincoln Tate has long been a mystery to researchers. In talking to several people who worked with him over the years they all said Lincoln Tate was not his real name. I’ve come up with a solution that I will present and anyone who wants to comment or continue the search please do so. I found in researching the name a man named James Harmon Kennelly who was born on December 1, 1934 in Harris County, Texas used the name Lincoln Tate as an alias. Kennelly was active in the film industry and was married to Anita Kennelly born in 1953, and had a daughter Carly Kennelly born in 1982. I also discovered that he died in Woodland Hills, California on December 16, 2001. Thinking maybe he died at the Actors Home I contacted them but they had no record of our man under either name. Therefore he must have owned a home in this bedroom community of Los Angeles and Hollywood.
 
The birthdate fits in with other actors of the era that he worked with and since he’s been unheard of for years the death date also makes sense. I have been unable to track down his wife but if she remarried that would make it difficult. Anyone who has a suggestion on where to proceed or any other clues or ideas I’d love to hear them.
 
Tate was active in the film and TV industry as an actor and producer since his appearance on an episode of ‘The Big Valley’ TV series in 1965.
 
After a few more TV appearances Tate went to Italy to pursue his career and appeared in eight Euro-westerns starting with “Bastard Go and Kill” in 1971. His last Euro-western was “For a Book of Dollars” in 1973. He then returned to the U.S. and appeared in a handful of TV series in guest appearances. His final acting role was in the 1988 film “Grotesque” where he was also an associate producer.
 
At this point his trail dries up and he disappears from the scene. Andrea B. from the Spaghetti Western Data Base just contacted me with a link for Carly Kennelly who is a traffic reporter at TV station KOIN in Portland, Oregon which I have included which confimrs her father was Lincoln Tate.
 
If I am correct today would have been Lincoln Tate’s 80th birthday.

KOIN link: http://interactives.koin.com/photomojo/gallery/13057/244069/25-things-about-carly-kennelly/my-dad-and-john-wayne/

9 comments:

  1. Biltmore: Lincoln Tate's company Harlindel produced ..."E il terzo giorno arrivò il corvo" (1973).

    ReplyDelete
  2. My name is John Paul C Perry I was friends with Lincoln Tate and Anita we used to be neighbors in North Hollywood on Laurel Canyon Boulevard I'm sorry to hear that he's no longer with us he was a good friend and a good Mentor may you rest in peace Lincoln

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lincoln Tate ´ s grave.
    Requiescat in Pace.
    https://es.findagrave.com/memorial/103507551/james-harmon-kennelly/photo

    ReplyDelete
  4. My name is Charmaine Jones and Lincoln was my stepfather. He was not “officially” married to my mother, Hildegard Merrill, but they were partners and basically married. Carly, his daughter is my “step sister” and I’ve been in her life since she was 4 years old. Yes, she is a news reporter at KOIN in Portland, Oregon. Lincoln’s stage name had the last name “Tate” that he came up with after his very good friend Sharon Tate (of the Mason murders). His real name is, in fact, James Kennelly and died of Lymphoma in my mothers arms watching TV in her living room. He lived at our house in Woodland Hills, California. The last movie he co produced and directed was “B” rated movie with whom my mother actually produced. It started Linda Blair and 2 of Dick VanPattens sons. We called them “The VanPatten” brothers during the filming. My mother played a small scene in the movie, walking an elderly woman down a hallway. Anita was very much in our lives as Carly lived with her but they were over at our house to see Lincoln all the time. To this day, Anita is close with me. Anita was living in Portland to be near Carly but then met up with an old childhood schoolmate. She now shares a home with him in Orange County, California. I reside in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot. You should upload the information in sites like Wikipedia.
      Thank you very much!

      Delete
  5. Lincoln would have been about 83 now. He is buried in a cemetery in Westlake/Thousand Oaks, California under the name James Kennelly, I believe. He was honored with a full military service and the folded flag was handed to my mother, Hildegard Merrill. My mother spoke on behalf of him at his service. They were together for 18 years.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you Charmaine for the additional information on Lincoln's life. I'm glad he is finally getting some of the recognition he deserves.

    ReplyDelete
  7. If I recall correctly, he appeared in an uncredited cameo as himself, albeit in a bad guy role in the 1971 Spaghetti Western, "Savage Guns". Peter Martell and Gordon Mitchell also appeared with him in uncredited cameos as villains under their own names. Peter Martell was actually Pietro Martellanza and Gordon Mitchell was really Charles B. Pendleton.

    ReplyDelete