Frank Tang (born Dai Jung Tong, Chinese: 唐隸忠[1]; Jyutping: tong4 dai6 zung1; November 27, 1905 – June 29, 1968) was a Chinese-American character actor, filmmaker, community leader, and restaurateur[2] who was best-known for directing the 1936 Cantonese-language film Sum Hun.[3]
Frank Tang | |
|---|---|
 Tang in 1948 | |
| Born | Dai Jung Tong November 27, 1905 San Francisco, California, US |
| Died | June 29, 1968 (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director |
| Spouse | Birdie Tong |
| Relatives | Kam Tong (brother) |
Biography edit
Frank was born in San Francisco into a big Chinese-American family. His parents, Yee Tong and Wong Shee, were immigrants. His brother Kam Tong would also become an actor.[4]
He began his career in Hollywood in the late 1920s, and he got a rare chance to work as a director in 1936, when he teamed up with Bruce Wong and Esther Eng to make the Cantonese-language American film Sum Hun. He'd appear in over a dozen films afterward in smaller roles, in addition to serving as a technical advisor.[5]
Later in life, he owned and operated a restaurant called Tang's in Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood.[4] He died in 1968 at the age of 62 after an illness, and was survived by his wife, Birdie, and several siblings.[6]
Selected filmography edit
As director:
- Sum Hun (1936)
As actor:
- The Hunters (1958)
- The Lineup (1958)
- The Seventh Sin (1957)
- Soldier of Fortune (1955)
- God Is My Co-Pilot (1945)
- Objective, Burma! (1945)
- Dragon Seed (1944)
- The Purple Heart (1944)
- Destination Tokyo (1943)
- The Man from Down Under (1943)
- Salute to the Marines (1943)
- We've Never Been Licked (1943)
- West of Shanghai (1937)
- The Leathernecks Have Landed (1936)
- The Great Divide (1929)
References edit
- ^ "伍錦霞". 香港記憶 | Hong Kong Memory. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
- ^ "Chinese Directory of City Planned in Bilingual Form". The Los Angeles Times. 12 Aug 1949. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ "All-Chinese Film Made". The Los Angeles Times. 15 Dec 1935. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ a b "Cityside with Gene Sherman". The Los Angeles Times. 6 Apr 1956. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ "Frank Tang, L.A. Chinese Leader, Dies". The Los Angeles Times. 30 Jun 1968. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ "Frank Tang Services Wednesday". The Oakland Tribune. 1 Jul 1968. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
External links edit
- Frank Tang at IMDb