When a show calls for a wealthy, authoritarian figure with a sketchy agenda, there’s one man that seems to always fit the bill: New Zealand born actor, Alan Dale. Since coming to LA in 2000, Dale has become the “go-to powerful guy”, a typecast that’s seen him star in everything from Lost and Ugly Betty to The O.C. and The Killing. Currently starring as Joseph Anders in Dynasty, the 72- year-old actor seems in no danger of beating out a quiet retirement anytime soon. Find out more with these ten fast facts.
1. He got a late start
Starting out in acting in your late 20s may be unusual, but in Dale’s case at least, it’s been no barrier to success. Despite having always had a love for a stage, Dale didn’t consider pursuing it professionally due to the shortage of acting roles in New Zealand at the time. Instead, he spent his 20s hopping between anything that paid the bills, spending time as a male model, a car salesman, and even a realtor. After finding that nothing gave him the same buzz as playing to an audience, he told his wife “, I really can’t stand it anymore. I’m going to have to go and be an actor’.”
2. Neighbours was his breakthrough
After finding it hard to secure acting work in New Zealand, Dale moved to Australia at the age of 32. Soon after arrival, he landed the role of Dr. John Forrest in the soap opera The Young Doctors. After departing the show three and a half years later, he landed the breakthrough role of Jim Robinson in Neighbours. Dale appeared in the show’s very first episode and remained with the soap until his character was killed off in 1993. His departure came after a dispute over pay, and, in Dale’s opinion, a failure of the production company to see the show’s actors as anything other than a “replaceable commodity”.
3. He moved to the US to find work
After leaving Neighbours in 1993, Dale struggled to find work in Australia. After several years of doing mainly voiceover gigs, his fortunes took a turn in 1999 when he was cast as an American in the TV film, First Daughter. After discovering he could carry off an American accent with aplomb, he decided to try his luck in LA, making the big move with his family in 2000.
4. He made his Neighbours comeback in 2018
After disagreements led to Dale quitting Neighbors over 25 years ago, a long-running friendship with old castmate, Stephan Denis (who still stars on the show as Dale’s on-screen son, Paul Robinson), enticed Dale back for a cameo appearance in the 2018 special Christmas edition. “I try to get out to Australia and New Zealand most years to keep in touch and I’m still close friends with Stefan,” he recalled to Now. “I went to visit him — and then a producer asked me if I’d be interested in coming on. I said yes.”
5. He’s the “go-to powerful guy”
After Neighbours, Dale struggled to find work in Australia after finding himself typecast as Jim Robinson. At that stage, the idea of playing the same kind of character forever was a bitter pill to swallow, but since coming to America, he’s learned to accept, and even enjoy, being typecast as the “go-to powerful guy”. As Maureen Ryan of TV Squad puts it “(Dale) is always so great at playing That Sketchy Wealthy Guy With a Hidden Agenda, which he has now played on, I believe, 87 different shows. And he always does it well.”
6. He was hurt at being killed off in The O.C.
After arriving in the US, one of Dale’s first big roles was as Caleb Nichol in The O.C. Midway through the run, his character was killed off- something Dale only became aware of after reading his death scene in the script. Understandably enough, the nature of his departure led to some bad blood. “I was very hurt, very hurt,” he told The New Zealand Herald. “I also didn’t think it was very smart. I mean, they weren’t paying me what I get paid here. And they got me cheap because I had come in there as a recurring role.”
7. He’s doesn’t chase fame
As a young actor, Dale may have courted celebrity, but these days, he’s happy to take the job without the corresponding fame. ‘When you’re young you pretend that (being famous) is not what you really want but it is,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘As you get older … I’ve had my share of all that sort of stuff, I don’t need crowds in the street,’ he added.
8. His Net Worth
His tenure on Neighbours may have ended after a falling out with producers over poor pay, but the actor has clearly moved on since then. Since moving to LA, his status has increased exponentially, with starring gigs in everything from The O.C. and Ugly Betty to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. His rise in stature has been accompanied by a corresponding rise in fortunes. As of 2020, the New Zealand born actor is, according to Celebrity Net Worth, worth a massive $8 million.
9. Gene Hackman is his hero
Dale has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names, but never managed to land a role with his acting idol, Gene Hackman. “My big acting hero has always been Gene Hackman — an actor who always gets to the truth,” he told What’s On Stage. On the other hand, he has got to work with another of his heroes, Steven Spielberg. “Although what I did in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Skull wasn’t much, you just know the man’s a genius,” he shared.
10. He’s married to a former Miss Australia
In 1968, Dale married his first wife, Claire. After two children, Simon and Matthew, the couple went their separate ways in 1979. Eleven years later, the actor married again, this time to Tracey Pearson, the 1986 Miss Australia. Despite an 18-year age gap, Dale has described his marriage as “the most appropriate relationship I’ve ever had.” The couple lives in LA with their two sons, Daniel and Nick.
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