Frank Agrama, the founder and chairman of Harmony Gold, known for producing and distributing the popular Robotech movies, has passed away at the age of 93. He died at his home in the presence of his family.
Born on January 1, 1930, Agrama began his career as a child actor in Egypt, where he had his own television show.
Surprisingly, he was earning more than his father, who was the Surgeon General of Egypt.
Later, he went on to study medicine and surgery at the University of Cairo but left Egypt to study at UCLA.
He then moved to Lebanon, where he produced features until the Six-Day War in 1967, which ended his productive period.
Following this, he moved to Italy with his wife and two young children and founded the Film Association of Rome, which produced and distributed over 20 titles a year.
Agrama later moved to Los Angeles and laid the groundwork for his company, Harmony Gold, in 1983.
In its first year, Harmony Gold launched the popular Shaka Zulu mini-series, which became the most successful first-run syndicated miniseries in TV history.
In 1985, Agrama executive produced Robotech: The Movie, a successful Japanese-American co-production, directed by Noboru Ishiguro and Carl Macek.
The film was created by mixing footage from the Japanese direct-to-video movie Megazone 23 Part 1 and the animated television series Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, with very loose connections to the Robotech TV series.
The plot centers around an intergalactic battle between visiting aliens and the people of Earth over robo-technology secrets.
Harmony Gold also had other successful titles in the 1980s, such as The World of Talisman (aka Birth) (1987), Robotech II: The Sentinels (1987), Lensman: Power of the Lens (1987), Around the World in 80 Days (1989), and Dragon Ball (1989). In 2006, Agrama wrote and produced the movie Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. Currently, Sony is working on a live-action feature based on Robotech, with Mark Canton (Power, Freak Brothers) and Gianni Nunnari (300, Immortals) producing.
Frank Agrama Cause of Death
The cause of Frank Agrama’s death has not yet been mentioned publicly by the family but we understand he died in the presence of family.
Agrama is survived by his wife of 70 years, Olfet Agrama, his son Ahmed Agrama (Lena), his daughter Jehan Agrama (Dwora Fried), his brother Hani Agrama (Roberta), his sister Amina Ramzy, his grandchildren Maya, Natasha, Frankie, Anjoum Anissa, Tayo, Marli, and the Harmony Gold family and friends.
Those who wish to make a donation on his behalf can consider Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen, or the LA Mission, as requested by the family.
There will be a memorial at Harmony Gold in May.
Aiva Arthur
