Character actor Joseph Evan Tata was the son of a vaudevillian known as Rosey the Singing Barber. Tata began acting onscreen 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.

He essayed roles as an alien in The Outer Limits (1963) and Napoleon Bonaparte in The Time Tunnel (1966). A familiar face in police and detective shows, Tata 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 E. Tata was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018 and passed away on Los Angeles on August 24 2022, at the age of 85.