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 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]
