Joe E. Tata

Character actor Joseph Evan Tata was the son of John Lucas, a vaudevillian who had once made a name for himself as Rosey the Singing Barber. Joe began acting on screen in 1960. For the next decade, he appeared (then billed as 'Joey' Tata) in numerous classic TV episodes of the era, usually in small supporting roles. His career took off after a recurring part as Private Neddick in No Time for Sergeants (1964). He provided the voice for several of the robots in Lost in Space (1965) and popped up as assorted minor henchmen in the original Batman (1966) series. Joe also essayed an alien in The Outer Limits (1963) and Napoleon Bonaparte in The Time Tunnel (1966). A familiar face in police and detective shows, Joe made multiple appearances in Mission: Impossible (1966), Mannix (1967), The F.B.I. (1965), Police Story (1973) and The Rockford Files (1974). A lifelong fan of the early western series Maverick (1957), he later recalled James Garner as his favorite co-star. Today, he is best remembered as the good-natured owner of the Peach Pit Diner Nat Bussichio in ten seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). Joe was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2018 and passed away on Los Angeles on August 24 2022 at the age of 85.