Brian Trenchard-Smith

Biography Early life Trenchard-Smith was born in England, the son of a senior officer of the Royal Air Force (RAF), and lived for a time in Libya, where his father was stationed. His family moved to RAF Odiham, Hampshire and he made his first film at the age of 15 on 8mm, a 2-minute short called The Duel. The following year he made the ten-minute The Chase about a lunatic who escapes from an asylum and chases a boy around the countryside with a bayonet.

He was commissioned to make a film about his school, Wellington College, for prospective parents. He showed this around once he left school, and it helped him get work as an editor's assistant and camera assistant with a French news company in London. However he was unable to get into the union so he moved to Australia in 1965 (his father was Australian).

Australian television and trailers Trenchard-Smith worked at Channel Ten as an editor, doing news, documentaries and station promos. He moved over to Channel 9 to work as promotions director, then in 1968 he returned to England and went to work in London as a junior writer/producer of feature film trailers at the National Screen Service.

In 1970 he returned to Channel 9 as network promotions director, and made his directorial debut with a French TV special Christmas in Australia. He followed it with a series of other specials: Marty Feldman in Australia (1972), The Big Screen Scene (1972), For Valor (1972), Inside Alvin Purple (1972).

Documentary filmmaker After two years at Channel 9 Trenchard Smith formed his own production company, Trenchard Productions, borrowed $16,000 and made a one-hour television special about stuntmen called The Stuntmen featuring Grant Page. This was a success.

Trenchard-Smith was going to Hong Kong to make an $8,000 documentary on Bruce Lee called The World of Kung Fu but arrived on the day Lee died. He turned the documentary into a tribute on Lee, and in the course of making it met Raymond Chow. Trenchard-Smith made another TV special, Kung Fu Killers (1974), featuring Page and George Lazenby. Throughout this decade Trenchard-Smith also worked cutting trailers.

Trenchard-Smith made the sex-orientated semi-documentary The Love Epidemic (1975) which was made for $33,000. It was theatrically released and made a small profit.

The Man from Hong Kong Trenchard-Smith's Hong Kong connections enabled him to make his dramatic feature film debut with the action movie The Man from Hong Kong (1975), the first Australian-Hong Kong co production. Starring Jimmy Wang Yu, George Lazenby and Grant Page, the film was made for The Movie Company, a production company half owned by Trenchard-Smith and Greater Union, and Golden Harvest. The film sold well around the world and established Trenchard-Smith as an action director.

Trenchard Smith then made the TV documentary Danger Freaks for the Movie Company before Greater Union pulled out of the organisation and it was wound up.

Trenchard Smith then made another action feature film, Deathcheaters (1976), starring Grant Page, which performed disappointingly at the box office. He spent nine months on a proposed film that never got up, The Siege of Sydney (aka Pillage Squad).

However he then made a dramatised short, Hospitals Don't Burn Down!, which won a number of awards and was highly successful.

First American films Trenchard-Smith then made a film in the US called Stunt Rock (1978) which he once called "probably the worst film I have made" although it has become a cult classic. It starred Grant Page and the US band Sorcery.

He followed this with Day of the Assassin (1979), where he replaced the original director just before filming began. He later said making the movie was one of his craziest directing experiences: All directors, at some point in their career trajectory, find themselves hanging on to a runaway train; despite best efforts, things turn to custard on a daily basis. More often than not, The Movie from Hell is a co-production. Foreign locale, fast money, giant egos, high pressure schedule – all make a volatile witches’ brew, even before you factor in deep rooted national resentments.

10BA era Trenchard-Smith returned to cutting trailers for various Australian films. Producer Antony I. Ginnane hired him to cut together footage of films during production to raise additional finance. These included Harlequin and The Survivor. Ginnane then hired Trenchard-Smith to direct Turkey Shoot (1982).

His work on that film got him the job of rewriting and directing the children's film, BMX Bandits (1983), which starred Nicole Kidman. He was announced as director of Blowing Hot and Cold but did not make it in the end.

Trenchard-Smith began directing episodes of Australian TV shows such as Five Mile Creek. He was hired by the producers of Frog Dreaming (1985) to replace the original director during the shoot.

He followed it with a melodrama which he co-wrote, Jenny Kissed Me (1985), then another action film, Dead End Drive-In (1986). Neither was successful at the box office but the latter has developed a strong cult reputation.

Trenchard-Smith was hired for another "rescue operation" when the decision was made to sack the director of Day of the Panther (1987) during filming. This film was shot back to back with a sequel Strike of the Panther.

Trenchard-Smith did a straight-to-video thriller, Out of the Body (1988) then travelled to the Philippines to make a Vietnam War film, The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989).

Move to Hollywood In January 1990 Trenchard Smith moved to Hollywood. He has said that when he left Australia "I was possibly a medium-sized fish in one of cinema's smaller ponds" and when he arrived he "immediately became plankton." (In 2001 he wrote "I believe I have now evolved into a sardine. My career goal is to become a dolphin, playfully cruising through a variety of genres on adequate budgets."

Personal life Since 1975, Trenchard-Smith has been married to Dr. Margaret Gerard Trenchard-Smith (née Enger), an American Byzantine historian and retired actress whom he had cast in Deathcheaters, Stunt Rock, Out of the Body and The Siege of Firebase Gloria. They have two sons, Eric and Alexander, and live in Oregon, where they own pet deer. His hobbies include history and épée fencing, for which he has held a lifelong passion.

His main influences growing up were Alfred Hitchcock, Henry Hathaway, Anthony Mann, J. Lee Thompson, Robert Aldrich, Raoul Walsh, King Vidor and John Ford.

List of works Filmography Film Year Title Director Writer Producer 1975 The Man from Hong Kong 1976 Deathcheaters 1978 Stunt Rock 1979 Day of the Assassin 1982 Turkey Shoot 1983 BMX Bandits 1986 Frog Dreaming Jenny Kissed Me Dead End Drive-In 1988 Day of the Panther Strike of the Panther Out of the Body 1989 The Siege of Firebase Gloria 1994 Night of the Demons 2 1995 Leprechaun 3 1996 Leprechaun 4: In Space 2001 Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 2006 In Her Line of Fire 2009 Pimpin' Pee Wee 2010 Arctic Blast 2013 Absolute Deception 2014 Drive Hard

Documentary works Year Title Director Writer Producer Himself Notes 1975 The Love Epidemic Semi-documentary 1978 Hospitals Don't Burn Down! Semi-documentary short filmRoles: Doctor/Voice of Cleaner (uncredited) 1980 The Dangerous Summer Short film 1989 Dangerfreaks Compilation film

Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 1975 The Man from Hong Kong Martial Arts Heavy 1976 Deathcheaters Hit & Run Director 1978 Stunt Rock HimselfUncredited 1982 Turkey Shoot Officer arresting Paul 2013 Absolute Deception Police Commissioner

Other credits Year Title Role 1977 The Last Wave Promotional consultant 1982 Blood Tide Co-producer and creative consultant 1990 Deathstone Executive producer 1991 Delta Force 3: The Killing Game Creative consultant 2000 Crash and Byrnes Second unit director and creative consultant 2007 Ice Spiders Creative consultant 2014 Turkey Shoot Executive producer

Television Documentary series Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1972 Marty Feldman in Australia The Big Screen Scene For Valor 1973 The Stuntmen The World of Kung Fu Inside Alvin Purple 1974 Kung Fu Killers The Making of Stone 1976 Danger Freaks MiniseriesAlso additional photography and self

TV series

TV movies Year Title Director Writer Producer 1993 Official Denial 1995 Sahara The Last Bullet 1996 Escape Clause 1997 Doomsday Rock 1998 Atomic Dog 2002 Voyage of Terror 1999 Happy Face Murders 2000 Britannic 2002 Seconds to Spare Sightings: Heartland Ghost 2003 The Paradise Virus DC 9/11: Time of Crisis 2005 Phantom Below 2006 Long Lost Son 2007 Aztec Rex 2009 Malibu Shark Attack 2011 The Cabin