Frederick Bailey was born in Dallas, Texas (full name: John Frederick Bailey II). He made his debut as a feature director with a fantasy action/adventure about a sword-wielding superhero in Shogun Cop (1999), unveiled at the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival. He's worked on a total of 23 scripts that have made it to the screen (two in foreign languages), plus another 30 that have yet to see celluloid. Bailey's written extensively in documentaries, composing the narration for numerous bonus features included in DVD reissues of classics, such as The Day The Earth Stood Still, Laura, and the special edition reissue of The Wizard Of Oz. He wrote narration for profiles on actors Gail Russell, Ward Bond and Sean McClory, and the screenwriter James Edward Grant. He wrote narration for numerous Disney short features, including a time-line on Walt Disney. He also worked on longer documentaries for The Passion Of The Christ and The Shield. He co-wrote the narration for Ghost Mountain, shown at the Visitor's Center at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Borrego Springs, California. With an equally prolific background in live theatre productions, he's directed over 100 stage plays in New York City and in various regional, repertory and stock theaters, including the world premiere of Beth Henley's Sisters Of The Winter Madrigal. He's a playwright, author of such stage pieces as The Bridgehead (which was co-winner of First Prize at the first annual New Play Festival at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1977), No Scratch, Rio Pork, Lonesome Canyon, Walkie Talkie and Dirty Ugly People & Their Stupid Meaningless Lives. Gringo Planet, a science-fiction comedy, was produced on the stage in London in 1982 with a cast that included Peter Wight (Vera Drake (2004), Another Year (2010), Babel (2006)) and again at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1987. After decades of hands-on experience in the movie industry, both above- and below-the line, both in front of and behind the camera, Bailey turned to teaching in 2006. At the International Academy of Film & Television (IAFT) in the Philippines, he has taught Intermediate and Advanced Screenwriting and pioneered a course in Directing Actors, before moving on to the River Hollywood Training School in Tokyo, where he taught acting classes, drawing on his years of toiling in the trenches with actors. In 2010, he wrote, directed and on-screen hosted two 45-minute educational documentaries for IAFT, on Directing and Screenwriting. He holds a BFA in directing and playwriting from Southern Methodist University. He's married to producer Atsuko Ohtani Bailey. They have a son, Angus, born in 2002.
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Biography from IMDb.
- November 7, 1946 (79)
- Dallas, Texas, USA
- Writer and actor
- 9 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
What are Frederick Bailey's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 3
Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 4
Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
Casual 6 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 7 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 1
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Mentoras Hayward in Equalizer 2000 (1987)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Frederick Bailey's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Frederick Bailey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
27 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
The Girl with No Number(2011)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Deep Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Angel Camouflaged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
L. Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Skeleton Man(2004)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Threat of Exposure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Shogun Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Dugo ng Birhen: El Kapitan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
My American Vacation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Goodbye America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Cheyenne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Terminal Justice(1996)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Quick(1993)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Kill Zone(1993)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Raiders of the Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Project Alien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Demonstone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Last Stand at Lang Mei (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Nam Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Circle of Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Equalizer 2000(1987)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Fast Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Saigon Commandos(1988)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Demon of Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Silk(1986)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Nobody's Fool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Wheels of Fire(1985)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 27 titles from 1985 to 2012.
Film career
- 1988Screen debut· Equalizer 2000
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Frederick Bailey's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 7th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 11th percentile for acclaim.
- Below 25th9
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 9 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned3
- Divisive1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 24/100 and the plot and story 27/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Frederick Bailey work with?
People who share at least 2 of Frederick Bailey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Cirio H. Santiago shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Cirio H. SantiagoShared titles: Kill Zone (1993), Equalizer 2000 (1987), Silk (1986), Wheels of Fire (1985)See all 4 shared titles with Cirio H. Santiago
- Rick KingShared titles: Terminal Justice (1996), Quick (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Rick King
Actors
- Joe Mari AvellanaShared titles: Equalizer 2000 (1987), Silk (1986), Wheels of Fire (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Joe Mari Avellana
- Don Gordon BellShared titles: Equalizer 2000 (1987), Wheels of Fire (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Don Gordon Bell
Cinematographers and editors
- Pacifico SanchezShared titles: Equalizer 2000 (1987), Silk (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Pacifico Sanchez
- Ricardo RemiasShared titles: Silk (1986), Wheels of Fire (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Ricardo Remias
Producers
- Amy KrellShared titles: Terminal Justice (1996), Quick (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Amy Krell
- David LancasterShared titles: Terminal Justice (1996), Quick (1993)See all 2 shared titles with David Lancaster
Mixed roles
- Joseph ZuccheroShared titles: Kill Zone (1993), Wheels of Fire (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Zucchero
