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IMDbPro

Brian Trenchard-Smith

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
FILM MAKING IS A COMBAT SPORT
Censored final trailer for the feature film Thanatomania
Play trailer1:31
Thanatomania (undefined)
2 Videos
1 Photo
Brian Trenchard-Smith is an Anglo Australian film and television director, producer, and writer, with a reputation for large scale movies on small scale budgets, many of which display a quirky sense of humor that has earned him a cult following. Quentin Tarantino referred to him in Entertainment Weekly as one of his favorite directors. His early work is featured in Not Quite Hollywood, an award winning documentary released by Magnolia. Among his early successes were the 20th Century Fox release The Man from Hong Kong, a wry James Bond/Chop Sockey cocktail, the Vietnam battle movie Siege of Firebase Gloria, and the futuristic satire Dead End Drive-In, a particular Tarantino favorite. BMX Bandits, showcasing a 15-year old Nicole Kidman, and Miramax's The Quest, starring ET's Henry Thomas, won prizes at children's film festivals in Montreal and Europe. He has also directed 35 episodes of television series as diverse as Silk Stalkings, Time Trax, The Others, and Flipper. Born in England, where his Australian father was in the RAF, Trenchard-Smith attended UK's prestigious Wellington College, where he neglected studies in favor of acting and making short films, before migrating to Australia. He started as a news film editor, then graduated to network promos before he became one of a group of young people that, as he recalls, "pushed, shoved, lobbied and bullied the government into introducing investment for Australian made films." He persuaded Australia's largest distribution-exhibition circuit at the time, the Greater Union Theater Organization, to form an in-house production company that he would run. The company made three successful films in a row, and his career was underway. In parallel careers, he was also founding editor of Australia's quarterly Movie magazine for 6 years, and has made over 100 trailers for other directors in Australia, Europe, and America. Among his 39 movies, 5 were commissioned by Showtime, including the remake of the World War II classic, Sahara, the highly rated, Happy Face Murders, starring Ann-Margret, and DC 9/11: Time of Crisis, with Timothy Bottoms as President Bush. His frequently repeated family drama for Lifetime, Long Lost Son starring Gabrielle Anwar, introduced future Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford to audiences in the title role." I knew from his first scene, he was going to be hot." In 2009, Trenchard-Smith shot Porky's - The College Years, a re-imagining of the famous 80's franchise of teen comedies. His recent ecological thriller Arctic Blast, starring Michael Shanks, was chosen to premiere at the 2010 Possible Worlds Canadian Film Festival in Sydney. Trenchard-Smith writes for filmindustrybloggers.com as The Genre Director, and is a contributing guru to trailersfromhell.com. He is married to Byzantine historian Dr. Margaret Trenchard-Smith, lives in Los Angeles, and is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
BornJune 1, 1946
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJune 1, 1946
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro

Known for

The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
The Man from Hong Kong
6.6
  • Director(as Brian Trenchard Smith)
  • 1975
John Cusack and Thomas Jane in Drive Hard (2014)
Drive Hard
4.4
  • Director
  • 2014
The Love Epidemic (1975)
The Love Epidemic
4.9
  • Director
  • 1975
John Hargreaves and Grant Page in Deathcheaters (1976)
Deathcheaters
5.4
  • Director(as Brian Trenchard Smith)
  • 1976

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • John Cusack and Thomas Jane in Drive Hard (2014)
    Drive Hard
    • Director
    • 2014
  • Cuba Gooding Jr. and Emmanuelle Vaugier in Absolute Deception (2013)
    Absolute Deception
    • Director
    • 2013
  • Ana Alexander and Jonathan Chase in Chemistry (2011)
    Chemistry
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2011
  • Lea Thompson, Steven Brand, Bel Powley, Alice Felgate, and Ross Finnegan in The Cabin (2011)
    The Cabin
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2011
  • Arctic Blast (2010)
    Arctic Blast
    • Director
    • 2010
  • Pimpin' Pee Wee (2009)
    Pimpin' Pee Wee
    • Director
    • 2009
  • Fusion (2008)
    Fusion
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2008
  • Tyrannosaurus Azteca (2007)
    Tyrannosaurus Azteca
    • Director
    • 2007
  • Gabrielle Anwar, Craig Sheffer, and Chace Crawford in Long Lost Son (2006)
    Long Lost Son
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2006
  • Mariel Hemingway in In Her Line of Fire (2006)
    In Her Line of Fire
    • Director
    • 2006
  • Adrian Paul, Mathew St. Patrick, and Steve Boatright in Tides of War (2005)
    Tides of War
    • Director (directed by)
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003)
    DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Lorenzo Lamas and Melody Thomas Scott in The Paradise Virus (2003)
    The Paradise Virus
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Nia Long and Beau Bridges in Sightings: Heartland Ghost (2002)
    Sightings: Heartland Ghost
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2002
  • Seconds to Spare (2002)
    Seconds to Spare
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2002

Writer

  • Belinda McClory, Dominic Purcell, and Viva Bianca in Turkey Shoot (2014)
    Turkey Shoot
    • inspired by: "Turkey Shoot" directed by
    • 2014
  • John Cusack and Thomas Jane in Drive Hard (2014)
    Drive Hard
    • screenplay by
    • 2014
  • Seconds to Spare (2002)
    Seconds to Spare
    • written by
    • TV Movie
    • 2002
  • Britannic (2000)
    Britannic
    • written by
    • TV Movie
    • 2000
  • The Last Bullet (1995)
    The Last Bullet
    • screenplay by
    • TV Movie
    • 1995
  • Strike of the Panther (1988)
    Strike of the Panther
    • additional dialogue
    • 1988
  • The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1988)
    The Siege of Firebase Gloria
    • additional dialogue
    • 1988
  • Day of the Panther (1988)
    Day of the Panther
    • additional dialogue
    • 1988
  • Dangerfreaks (1987)
    Dangerfreaks
    • writer
    • 1987
  • Stunt Rock (1978)
    Stunt Rock
    • screenplay
    • 1978
  • John Hargreaves and Grant Page in Deathcheaters (1976)
    Deathcheaters
    • story (as Brian Trenchard Smith)
    • 1976
  • The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
    The Man from Hong Kong
    • written by (as Brian Trenchard Smith)
    • 1975
  • The Love Epidemic (1975)
    The Love Epidemic
    • written by
    • 1975
  • Movie Stuntmen
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 1974
  • Kung Fu Killers (1974)
    Kung Fu Killers
    • Writer
    • TV Special
    • 1974

Producer

  • Belinda McClory, Dominic Purcell, and Viva Bianca in Turkey Shoot (2014)
    Turkey Shoot
    • executive producer
    • 2014
  • Cuba Gooding Jr. and Emmanuelle Vaugier in Absolute Deception (2013)
    Absolute Deception
    • producer
    • 2013
  • Malibu Shark Attack (2009)
    Malibu Shark Attack
    • producer (as Brian Trenchard Smith)
    • TV Movie
    • 2009
  • Mariel Hemingway in In Her Line of Fire (2006)
    In Her Line of Fire
    • producer
    • 2006
  • Adrian Paul, Mathew St. Patrick, and Steve Boatright in Tides of War (2005)
    Tides of War
    • producer (produced by)
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • Lorenzo Lamas and Melody Thomas Scott in The Paradise Virus (2003)
    The Paradise Virus
    • producer
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Demonstone (1990)
    Demonstone
    • executive producer
    • 1990
  • Dangerfreaks (1987)
    Dangerfreaks
    • producer
    • 1987
  • Deborah Shelton in Bloodtide (1982)
    Bloodtide
    • co-producer (as Brian Trenchard Smith)
    • 1982
  • Stunt Rock (1978)
    Stunt Rock
    • co-producer (uncredited)
    • 1978
  • John Hargreaves and Grant Page in Deathcheaters (1976)
    Deathcheaters
    • producer (as Brian Trenchard Smith)
    • 1976
  • The Love Epidemic (1975)
    The Love Epidemic
    • producer
    • 1975
  • Movie Stuntmen
    • producer (as Brian Trenchard Smith)
    • Short
    • 1974
  • Kung Fu Killers (1974)
    Kung Fu Killers
    • producer
    • TV Special
    • 1974
  • The World of Kung Fu
    • producer
    • TV Special
    • 1973
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos2

Turkey Shoot
Trailer 2:47
Turkey Shoot
Thanatomania - FINAL TRAILER
Trailer 1:31
Thanatomania - FINAL TRAILER

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Blog
  • Alternative name
    • Brian Trenchard Smith
  • Born
    • June 1, 1946
    • England, UK
  • Spouse
    • Margaret GerardNovember 15, 1975 - present (2 children)
  • Other works
    Edited the UK trailer of Once Upon a Time in the West.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Interviews
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Father of Eric Trenchard-Smith.
  • Quotes
    As anyone who knows my work knows, there are about three I think that do, I make wacky films, and I enjoy exploring important themes in a wacky way sometimes, and sometimes I explore unimportant themes in a wacky way.

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