Frank Harris (July 18, 1943 – April 27, 2020) was an American film director, producer, and cinematographer who has been working in films since the late 1970s. His work as a director includes Killpoint in 1984, Low Blow and The Patriot in 1986, If We Knew Then in 1987 and Lockdown in 1990. He originally worked as a television reporter.
Frank Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1943 |
| Died | April 27, 2020 (aged 76) |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer, cinematographer |
| Spouse | |
Background
editHis wife Canadian born Diane Stevenett (married 1980), has also appeared in a number of his films.[1][2]
Before entering the film industry, Harris worked as a reporter for a California television station.
Career
editHe began his career around 1976 or 1978 as a cinematographer with Enforcer from Death Row aka Ninja Assassins, a film that featured Leo Fong, Darnell Garcia, John Hammond, Cameron Mitchell, Ann Farber and Booker T. Anderson.[3][4][5] He then applied his cinematography skills to the film Goldrunner, a film about a kidnapped child, which starred Richard Losee and Kristin Kelly. Harris also had an acting role in the film as the mechanic.[6][7] He took on multiple tasks in the 1984 film, Killpoint. He was the film's director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.[8][9]
Director
editKillpoint, a 1984 film that starred Leo Fong, Hope Holiday, Cameron Mitchell, Stack Pierce and Richard Rountree, Diane Stevenett was his directorial debut. It also featured James Lew and Bill Wallace.[10][11] In 1986 he directed Low Blow, another Leo Fong Film that featured Billy Blanks and Akosua Busia, early 1960s heartthrob Troy Donahue and Stack Pierce.[12][13] This film gave Blanks his first credited film role.[14][15] Also in 1986 he directed The Patriot, a film about a disgraced navy seal that goes after terrorists that steal nuclear missiles.[16] It starred Gregg Henry, Simone Griffeth, Jeff Conaway, Leslie Nielsen and Stack Pierce.[17] 1990 he directed Aftershock, a Sci-Fi film set in Set in a post-apocalyptic 21st Century.[18] It starred Elizabeth Kaitan, Chuck Jeffreys, James Lew, Richard Lynch, Christopher Mitchum, John Saxon and Michael Standing[19][20]
Cinematographer
editAs a cinematographer, Harris's early work was with Leo Fong in Enforcer from Death Row which starred Cameron Mitchell, Leo Fong, Booker T. Anderson, and Darnell Garcia.[21] In the 1980s, he worked on the Joel Silberg directed Catch the Heat, an action film about a female agent / martial expert operating in Argentina. It was released in 1987.[22] Harris was back working with Leo Fong in Showdown. The 1993 film which also starred Richard Lynch and Werner Hoetzinger was about a town of Mafia retirees that have their sanctuary invaded by a motorcycle gang.[23][24] Harris worked on the 2009 television series Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. Already a seasoned veteran, he was in charge of the camera crew.[25][26]
Filmography
editFeature films
edit| Title | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|
| Killpoint | 1984 | |
| Low Blow | 1986 | |
| The Patriot | 1986 | [27] |
| If We Knew Then | 1987 | |
| Girl Talk | 1989 | [28] |
| Aftershock | 1990 | |
| Lockdown | 1990 | [29] |
| Title | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Assassins | Marshall M. Borden Efren C. Piñon |
1976 | |
| Goldrunner | Richard Losee | 1980 | |
| Killpoint | Frank Harris | 1984 | |
| 24 Hours to Midnight | Leo Fong | 1985 | |
| Low Blow | Frank Harris | 1986 | |
| The Patriot | Frank Harris | 1986 | |
| Hawkeye | George Chung | 1986 | |
| Lockdown | Frank Harris | 1990 | |
| Black Belt Angels | Chi Kim | 1994 | |
| Skyscraper | Raymond Martino | 1996 | |
| Brazilian Brawl | Leo Fong | 2003 | |
| Transformed | Efren C. Piñon | 2005 | |
| Let's All Kill Harold | Jim Skidmore | 2015 |
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldrunner | Mechanic | Richard Losee | 1980 | [31] |
| Low Blow | Uncredited role | Frank Harris | 1986 |
Television
edit| Title | Episode # | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critter Gitters | The Flying Professor | first assistant camera | Bryan Curb | 1998 | |
| Critter Gitters | Kinetics Catastrophe I & II | first assistant director | Bryan Curb | 1999 | |
| Critter Gitters | Cow Pie Bingo | first assistant director | Eric D. Howell | 1999 | |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | Out of the Void | Cinematographer | Mark Allen | 2009 | |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | Back in Black | Cinematographer | Mark Allen | 2009 | |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | A Hero's Fall | Cinematographer | Mark Allen | 2009 | |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | Dark Deception | Cinematographer | Steve Wang | 2009 | |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | The Enemy Within | Cinematographer | Steve Wang | 2009 | |
| Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | A Dragon's Tale | Cinematographer | Steve Wang | 2009 |
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of the Soul with Gary Zukav | Camera | Bill Einreinhofer | 2002 | |
| Barbaro | camera operator | Frank Deford | 2008 |
References
edit- ^ Hollywood.com - Frank Harris, Filmography
- ^ femail - Diane Stevenett
- ^ IMDb - Ninja Assassins (1976), Enforcer from Death Row (original title)
- ^ fist of b - list, 3.17.2011 - Enforcer from Death Row (1978)
- ^ Filmweb - Skrytobójcy ninja (1978), Enforcer from Death Row
- ^ Film-Dienst, Volume 37, Katholisches Institut für Medieninformation (Germany), Katholisches Filmkommission für Deutschland - Page 311
- ^ Buzreel - Goldrunner (1980)
- ^ The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999, By Paul Mavis - Page 167 799. Killpoint
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Frank Harris, Filmography
- ^ Film Directors, Volume 7, Editor Michael Singer - Page 133
- ^ Letterboxd - Killpoint 1984 Directed by Frank Harris
- ^ Los Angeles Times, June 02, 1986 - Movie Review : 'Low Blow' Takes Aim At The Heights Of Silliness - MICHAEL WILMINGTON
- ^ The Washington Post, September 3, 2001 - Movie Heartthrob Troy Donahue
- ^ The Hammer: an American Hero, By Harold D. Edmunds - Billy Blanks - Filmography
- ^ Explosive Action, Thursday, August 19, 2010 - Low Blow (1986)
- ^ Terrorism in American Cinema: An Analytical Filmography, 1960–2008, By Robert Cettl - Page 202
- ^ The New York Times, December 13, 1986 - FILM: UNDERSEA DERRING-DO IN FRANK HARRIS'S 'PATRIOT' By Vincent Canby
- ^ AllMovie - Aftershock (1989), Synopsis by Hal Erickson
- ^ IMDb Aftershock (1990)
- ^ 80s Action Movies on the Cheap: 284 Low Budget, High Impact Pictures, By Daniel R. Budnik - Page 211
- ^ Max Movier - Enforcer from Death Row
- ^ 80s Action Movies on the Cheap: 284 Low Budget, High Impact Pictures, By Daniel R. Budnik - Page 112 Catch the Heat
- ^ TV Guide - Showdown, Cast & Crew
- ^ TV Guide - Showdown, Review
- ^ Vantage Point Reviews - JOHN FASANO ON GODZILLA! The Big G’s Best Friend in Tinseltown Reminisces About His Favorite Kaiju and More! - Brett Homenick
- ^ Filmová Databáze - Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight (TV serial)
- ^ Letterboxd - Films Directed by Frank Harris
- ^ Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies, By Tom Lisanti - Page 245 Deanna Lund
- ^ Letterboxd - Films Directed by Frank Harris
- ^ IMDb - Frank Harris, Cinematographer
- ^ Interfilmes.com - Goldrunner
- ^ IMDb - Frank Harris, Cinematographer
- ^ IMDb - Camera and Electrical Department
- ^ FilmAffinity - Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight (TV Series)
External links
edit- Frank Harris at IMDb