Alan Dale

Although best known to his fellow countrymen Down Under for his eight-year stint on the wildly popular soap opera  Neighbours, Dale found stateside fame playing a string of powerful but ruthless characters on American television. The New Zealand-born actor moved to Australia early on to further his career and became a national icon for his small-screen work on The Young Doctors and Neighbours . Even though the latter series turned him into a star, Dale disliked the way the producers treated… Show more the cast. Perhaps his unhappiness influenced his decision to try his luck in Hollywood in 2000. Despite being a fiftysomething character actor with little name recognition in the U.S., he soon became a ubiquitous presence on the tube, appearing on hit shows like ER, The X Files and 24 . He was particularly memorable in a trio of similar roles: three villainous tycoons who also happened to be overprotective family men on The O.C., Lost and Ugly Betty . However, his recent success is no accident, as Dale is known for his impressive work ethic: as a young man, he overheard a DJ quit his job while still on the radio, which inspired him to immediately drive over to the radio station and demand the job despite not having any experience (the producers gave it to him). No wonder then that his life's motto is the quote by Winston Churchill, "never, never, never give up." ~ Rovi

Show less