About Frank Tang
Lived 1905 – 1968 (aged 62). Frank Tang was an American film director and film actor.
Frank Tang (born Dai Jung Tong, ; November 27, 1905 – June 29, 1968) was a Chinese-American character actor, filmmaker, community leader, and restaurateur who was best-known for directing the 1936 Cantonese-language film Sum Hun.
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.
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.
Later in life, he owned and operated a restaurant called Tang's in Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood.
Selected filmography 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)
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Important facts
People in Frank Tang's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Frank Tang's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Frank Tang?
Chinese-American film director and actor (1905-1968)
When was Frank Tang born?
Frank Tang was born on 27 November 1905 in San Francisco.
When did Frank Tang die?
Frank Tang died on 29 June 1968.
What was Frank Tang's occupation?
Frank Tang was a film director and film actor.
What nationality was Frank Tang?
Frank Tang was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Tang. https://biography.guide/frank-tang/
MLA: "Frank Tang." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-tang/.
Chicago: "Frank Tang." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-tang/.
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