Preston Tate Jr. is a critically-acclaimed award-winning actor, appearing on numerous major television shows. His credits include roles in Chicago Fire, Shameless and Empire. The major independent features, Unexpected and Southside With You, became his most notable film roles when they made their world premieres at Sundance Film Festival. For theatre, he has worked with both storefront and major theatre companies such as Mary-Arrchie, Victory Gardens and Steppenwolf.

 

Throughout his career, Preston Jr. has been trained by established figures in the Chicago industry at some of the top acting schools. He studied under the likes of Patrick Mulvey of Vagabond School of the Arts, Sean Bradley and David Murphy of The Green Room Studio and Emily Golan Rabinowitz of Stage and Slate.

 

Whether he’s an insightful wisecracker in Southside With You, the eccentric underground hobbyist in USA Networks’ Sirens or the charismatic and ambitious go-getter in Superior Donuts, Preston Tate Jr. has made a career of creating distinctly eclectic characters that resonate with people long after he’s gone from view.

 

As a performer that is committed to growth, Preston likes to build a personal connection to his roles by taking various aspects of his life into the creation of his characters. The inspiration stems from his knowledge of chess, his martial arts training of Krav Maga and even from the world of professional wrestling, also known as his first love. The goal is to make sure that every character creates genuine interest and engagement from his audience.

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While practicing getting checkmates in 4 moves, Preston Jr. feels nothing but excitement and anticipation for the future of his career as he looks towards crossing off working with Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler and appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.