Frank Bren

Frank Bren was a scholar of Polish cinema and Chinese cinema film history. His book World Cinema 1: Poland (University of Illinois Press, 1989) is one of the premier resources on the history of Polish cinema.Marek Haltof, Polish National Cinema, Berghahn Books, 2002 (Introduction).Janina Falkowska, Slavic Review, Vol. 62, No. 3, p. 592 (2003).

His book (with Law Kar), Hong Kong Cinema: A Cross-Cultural View (The Scarecrow Press, 2004) is one of the few books to thoroughly document the very early history of Hong Kong cinema, dating back to its beginnings in the 19th century.Review by The Bookwatch, Nov. 2004, published by The Midwest Book Review [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QLD/is_2004_Nov/ai_n8698705] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213044620/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QLD/is_2004_Nov/ai_n8698705 |date=13 February 2007 }}Review of "Hong Kong Cinema: A Cross-Cultural View" by China Quarterly, reproduced by The Scarecrow Press [http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=%5EDB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0810849860] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012224158/http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=%5EDB%2FCATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0810849860 |date=12 October 2004 }}

Bren was writing a biography of French filmmaker and comedian, Pierre Étaix.{{Cite web |url=http://www.estherengstory.com/Personals/personals.html |title=The Esther Eng Story (website) |access-date=21 May 2010 |archive-date=29 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529073953/http://www.estherengstory.com/Personals/personals.html |url-status=live }}

Bren has also written articles on film for international journals such as Far Eastern Economic Review, Screen International, Films and Filming, as well as for newspapers such as Libération and The Asian Wall Street Journal.{{Cite web |url=http://www.donaldofchina.com/Don_Who_/Press1/Life1/Book/Play/author.html |title=DonaldofChina.com |access-date=6 October 2007 |archive-date=7 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107171405/http://donaldofchina.com/Don_Who_/Press1/Life1/Book/Play/author.html |url-status=live }}

Frank Bren played Colin "The Snake" Adder in Mark Savage's film Sensitive New Age Killer,{{IMDb name|0107129|Frank Bren}} and co-starred in the Craig Addison movie Betel Nut Girl.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dragonhorsefilms.com/main/index.php/betel-nut-girl |title=Dragon Horse Films |access-date=4 May 2012 |archive-date=26 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526013929/http://www.dragonhorsefilms.com/main/index.php/betel-nut-girl |url-status=live }} He also played two recurring roles, as twin brothers Colin Taylor and Alf Taylor, in the popular Australian TV series Neighbours during the 1990s. In addition, he played "Mr. Nicholson" in the film Hating Alison Ashley. He was preparing a biopic of Chinese-American film director Esther Eng.{{Cite web |url=http://www.estherengstory.com/EEMovie/eemovie.html |title=The Esther Eng Story (website) |access-date=21 May 2010 |archive-date=27 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527162458/http://www.estherengstory.com/EEMovie/eemovie.html |url-status=live }}

In all, Bren has acted in over a dozen roles in Australian television series and movies, including The Flying Doctors, Blue Heelers and Stingers.

Frank Bren{{cite web|url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/2154|title=Frank Bren|work=AusStage}} wrote and starred in the play A History of Motion Pictures, which ran at La Mama Theatre (Melbourne).[http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/melbourne/a-history-of-motion-pictures--la-mama-338.html Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916073343/http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/melbourne/a-history-of-motion-pictures--la-mama-338.html |date=16 September 2007 }} of "A History of Motion Pictures" from Australian Stage, 4 May 2007.[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/72811 A History of Motion Pictures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204253/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/72811 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage He has also written and starred in about a dozen plays since 1967, with runs in London, Amsterdam, and Melbourne.{{Cite web |url=http://perfectblend.net/features/interview-bren.htm |title=Interview with Frank Bren |access-date=4 October 2007 |archive-date=15 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815083115/http://perfectblend.net/features/interview-bren.htm |url-status=live }} Some of the other plays he both wrote and starred in are The Rise and Fall of Archie Jones (1968),[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/102802 The Rise and Fall of Archie Jones] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204206/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/102802 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage Have You Noticed Your Leg Is Missing? (1969),[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/102813 "Have You Noticed Your Leg Is Missing?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204132/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/102813 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage Odyssey of a Bald Man (1970),[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/102833 Odyssey of a Bald Man] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204155/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/102833 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage Larceny Makes No Noise (1988),[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/1480 Larceny Makes No Noise] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204230/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/1480 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage"A Crime Thriller Comedy" by Jason Romney, The Age, Entertainment Guide section, 30 September 1988, p. 7 (available [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19880930&id=scRYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=65YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3188,7447821 here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129022810/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19880930&id=scRYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=65YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3188%2C7447821 |date=29 November 2021 }} via Google News Archive, retrieved on 6 February 2014). Muckrake (1989),[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/1752 Muckrake] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204218/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/1752 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage Honest! (1993),[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/20211 Honest!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204143/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/20211 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage and Flashback (1997).[http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/29427 Flashback] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222204242/http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/29427 |date=22 February 2014 }}, AusStage

Frank Bren died from cancer, aged 74, on 14 April 2018, at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Victoria.[https://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/30466/frank-bren/ Frank Bren] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129022838/https://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/30466/frank-bren/ |date=29 November 2021 }}, The Age[https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/frank-bren-obituary?pid=188750099 Frank Desmond Bren]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Legacy A tribute to his life was held at La Mama Theatre,[http://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2018/05/in-memoriam-frank-bren-pictures-from.html In Memoriam Frank Bren - Pictures from the tribute to his life held at La Mama ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107064243/http://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2018/05/in-memoriam-frank-bren-pictures-from.html |date=7 November 2019 }}, Film Alert 101 and further tributes were written by writer John Snadden and film director Mark Savage.[http://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2018/04/vale-frank-bren-actor-writer-director.html Vale Frank Bren - Actor, writer, director, scholar, critic - Friends John Snadden and Mark Savage remember] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020124534/http://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2018/04/vale-frank-bren-actor-writer-director.html |date=20 October 2019 }}, Film Alert 101

;Official pages

• [http://www.frankbren.com/ FrankBren.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101020726/http://frankbren.com/ |date=1 January 2014 }} – personal website

;Reference material

• [http://perfectblend.net/features/interview-bren.htm Interview with Frank Bren about Neighbours]
• [http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/melbourne/a-history-of-motion-pictures--la-mama-338.html Review of A History of Motion Pictures] (from Australian Stage)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041012224158/http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=%5EDB%2FCATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0810849860 Hong Kong Cinema: A Cross-Cultural View] (The Scarecrow Press)
• {{IMDb name|0107129|Frank Bren}}

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Category:1943 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:Australian male film actors

Category:Australian male soap opera actors

Category:Australian male dramatists and playwrights

Category:20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights

Category:21st-century Australian dramatists and playwrights

Category:Cinema of Hong Kong