"You want to talk about it"?, Nat asks Brandon, like the father Brandon has always had a better version of.
Joseph E. Tata spoke these words as the character he is most famous for, Nat Bussichio-owner of the Peach Pit on Beverly Hills, 90210. We all looked up to him as he doled out fatherly advice to the various vagabonds who ate and worked at the Pit, but do we really know who he is?
Let's take a closer look.
Jospeh E. Tata was born on September 13th, 1936 in Pittsburgh to a father who worked in Vaudeville. This gives us a clue as to what made Joe tick as a child growing up in the rust belt.
One can only imagine his deep yearning for making his father proud and becoming a performer himself. Perhaps we saw this cry for help, if you will, when Joe seemed to get himself too involved in the 90210 gang's misadventures later on. As he helped Brandon Walsh with his gambling debt for betting on one too many Lakers games, he was really helping himself understand his own father.
Our hero got his first big break in the 1960 TV series "Peter Gunn". He was only 24 then, and had yet to perfect his acting chops. He only appeared in one episode as "Curtis". For years, Joe toiled in 1-2 episode gigs on many short-lived TV Series, all while billed as "Joey".
Hollywood did not respect him and his polite kiddie name. Joe was lost.
Finally, in 1966, he decided it was time to grow up. He shortened his name to the now famous "Joseph E. Tata", immediately catching the attention of Hollywood.
Serious roles started to pour in: Of all the mothmen in that episode of Batgirl, he was Mothman #1. He was versitile enough to pull off several uncredited voice acting roles in "Lost in Space".
However, this new found success was short lived. Was it drugs? Sex? One can only speculate. I say drugs.
The 70's and 80's were mostly a haze. He did appear in many single episodes of various TV series, but the directors could only handle so much of his selfishness, so he was often paid for one gig, then tossed onto the hard streets of L.A.
Appearing as Bookie McGrudy on one episode of "The A Team" in the fall of 1985, you could tell Joseph had lost his edge. A few nondescript roles later, and Joe was begging for work.
A chance meeting with Aaron Spelling turned into a dream role- a creepy restauranteer who while surrounding himself with high schoolers, could pretend to be relevant again.
This is exactly what Joe E. Tata had been waiting for. His father would have been so proud!
With so much drama surrounding the talented and attractive cast around him on Beverly Hills, 90210, his lack of charisma and non-discernable acting talent remained unnoticed for the entire run of the show. This was a dream come true for Joe during its 10 year run. Although high at first, ratings eventually declined, and 90210 went off the air in 2000. Joe was devastated. He begged and begged Aaron Spelling for a spinoff show called "Nate's Emporium", but that was resoundly denied. It was back to the streets for Joe.
Joe E. Tata, after all of his award-worthy work in Hollywood, was now homeless and begging for drug money near the same neighborhood he ruled at the Peach Pit. For years he toiled in filth and shame, until, one day, while watching a TV through a store window he discovered that 90210 was being remade for the CW network! Joe was thrilled! If only he could get a second chance. That chance came when Aaron Spelling spotted him rooting through the dumpster behind a studio lot. Feeling sorry, Aaron offered Joe the opportunity to reprise his role of Nat, and the rest is history.
Just don't walk up to Joe on the street and say "You want to talk about it"? unless you have a few hours on your hands, because after his proud career, he certainly has some stories to tell!!!
Joseph E. Tata spoke these words as the character he is most famous for, Nat Bussichio-owner of the Peach Pit on Beverly Hills, 90210. We all looked up to him as he doled out fatherly advice to the various vagabonds who ate and worked at the Pit, but do we really know who he is?
Let's take a closer look.
Jospeh E. Tata was born on September 13th, 1936 in Pittsburgh to a father who worked in Vaudeville. This gives us a clue as to what made Joe tick as a child growing up in the rust belt.
One can only imagine his deep yearning for making his father proud and becoming a performer himself. Perhaps we saw this cry for help, if you will, when Joe seemed to get himself too involved in the 90210 gang's misadventures later on. As he helped Brandon Walsh with his gambling debt for betting on one too many Lakers games, he was really helping himself understand his own father.
Our hero got his first big break in the 1960 TV series "Peter Gunn". He was only 24 then, and had yet to perfect his acting chops. He only appeared in one episode as "Curtis". For years, Joe toiled in 1-2 episode gigs on many short-lived TV Series, all while billed as "Joey".
Hollywood did not respect him and his polite kiddie name. Joe was lost.
Finally, in 1966, he decided it was time to grow up. He shortened his name to the now famous "Joseph E. Tata", immediately catching the attention of Hollywood.
Serious roles started to pour in: Of all the mothmen in that episode of Batgirl, he was Mothman #1. He was versitile enough to pull off several uncredited voice acting roles in "Lost in Space".
However, this new found success was short lived. Was it drugs? Sex? One can only speculate. I say drugs.
The 70's and 80's were mostly a haze. He did appear in many single episodes of various TV series, but the directors could only handle so much of his selfishness, so he was often paid for one gig, then tossed onto the hard streets of L.A.
Appearing as Bookie McGrudy on one episode of "The A Team" in the fall of 1985, you could tell Joseph had lost his edge. A few nondescript roles later, and Joe was begging for work.
A chance meeting with Aaron Spelling turned into a dream role- a creepy restauranteer who while surrounding himself with high schoolers, could pretend to be relevant again.
This is exactly what Joe E. Tata had been waiting for. His father would have been so proud!
With so much drama surrounding the talented and attractive cast around him on Beverly Hills, 90210, his lack of charisma and non-discernable acting talent remained unnoticed for the entire run of the show. This was a dream come true for Joe during its 10 year run. Although high at first, ratings eventually declined, and 90210 went off the air in 2000. Joe was devastated. He begged and begged Aaron Spelling for a spinoff show called "Nate's Emporium", but that was resoundly denied. It was back to the streets for Joe.
Joe E. Tata, after all of his award-worthy work in Hollywood, was now homeless and begging for drug money near the same neighborhood he ruled at the Peach Pit. For years he toiled in filth and shame, until, one day, while watching a TV through a store window he discovered that 90210 was being remade for the CW network! Joe was thrilled! If only he could get a second chance. That chance came when Aaron Spelling spotted him rooting through the dumpster behind a studio lot. Feeling sorry, Aaron offered Joe the opportunity to reprise his role of Nat, and the rest is history.
Just don't walk up to Joe on the street and say "You want to talk about it"? unless you have a few hours on your hands, because after his proud career, he certainly has some stories to tell!!!
4 comments:
I thought his role as Benny Travis, the P.I., in Magnum P.I. was underrated, but apparently, he clashed with Selleck and couldn't recover.
You really captured the spirit of the thing.
Captured the spirit of what thing?
Do you have a team of researchers helping you with your blog or do u just assign these tasks to the college interns and foreigners in your lab and tell them this is "science" and will help make the country a safer and healthier place?
Did Aaron spelling who died years ago really see him looking through garbage and decide to give him a job? was it the real aaron spelling or some disembodied drug induces phantom like the ghost of D list career past?
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