Frank Tang

Frank Tang (born Dai Jung Tong) was a Chinese-American character actor, filmmaker, community leader, and restaurateur[1] who was best-known for directing the 1936 Cantonese-language film Sum Hun.[2]

Frank Tang
Born
Dai Jung Tong

November 27, 1905
San Francisco, California, USA
DiedJune 29, 1968 (aged 62)
Los Angeles, California, USA
OccupationActor, film director
Spouse(s)Birdie
RelativesKam Tong (brother)

Biography

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.[3]

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.[4]

Later in life, he owned and operated a restaurant called Tang's in Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood.[3] He died in 1968 at the age of 62 after an illness, and was survived by his wife, Birdie, and several siblings.[5]

Selected filmography

As director:

As actor:

References
  1. "Chinese Directory of City Planned in Bilingual Form". The Los Angeles Times. 12 Aug 1949. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  2. "All-Chinese Film Made". The Los Angeles Times. 15 Dec 1935. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  3. "Cityside with Gene Sherman". The Los Angeles Times. 6 Apr 1956. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  4. "Frank Tang, L.A. Chinese Leader, Dies". The Los Angeles Times. 30 Jun 1968. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  5. "Frank Tang Services Wednesday". The Oakland Tribune. 1 Jul 1968. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
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