Biografia
Dennis Hatch Christen, an actor, writer, and producer, authored his first non-fiction book, "Rape? Not Me!!," in 1974. Since then, he has written multiple screenplays for film and television, along with two novels: "Madam, the Grass Is High" (2001) and the third edition of "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys" (2014). Both novels are slated for feature film adaptations. Based in Las Vegas since 2019, Dennis owns C-It Entertainment, LLC.
Born in Lehi, Utah, in 1948 as Dennis Hatch, he added his stepfather's surname during his 1960s army service, keeping his birth name as his middle name. He has two older sisters, Vikki Lynn and Carla Ann; three younger brothers, Scott, Paul D., and Gregory; and had two younger sisters, Jolene and Sylvia Ann, who have passed away. Raised in California and Utah, Dennis enlisted in the army the day after graduating high school and served in Korea from 1966 to 1969. After his service, he attended Brigham Young University for two semesters before pursuing his passion for acting and writing in Hollywood. During the 1980 actors' strike, he was cast in a miniseries in South Korea, where he built a thriving career lasting over 12 years. Upon returning to Hollywood in 1992, Dennis co-founded Theafilm Distribution Network, Inc., an alternative domestic film distribution platform that allowed independent films to be screened alongside major studio releases. In 2006, he launched a new distribution strategy targeting school cinemas nationwide, enabling U.S. schools to generate vital funding by showcasing Hollywood films. This initiative, known as Cinema Night and The School Distribution Network, also distributes movie-related books and merchandise to students and is planned to expand internationally by mid-2023.
With over 45 years of experience, Dennis began his career shortly after his military service in the 1960s with his first published work, "Rape? Not Me!," which led him to lecture globally on women's survival against male violence. In 1980, while in Korea, he starred in "A High School Student's Diary" (Kokyo Sang Ilgi), one of the most successful daily Korean sitcoms, appearing in 620 episodes. Over 12 years in Korea, Dennis acted in more than 640 television episodes, miniseries, movies of the week, and feature films, traveling to 12 countries worldwide. His final major project there was the acclaimed 38-hour miniseries "The Eyes of Dawn" (also known as "Years of Upheaval" or "Yo-Myong-wee Noon-dong-ja" in Korean). He received a Special Acting Award for his role in Korea's first all-English-language Movie of the Week, "A Tear for My Enemy" (also known as "The Human and the Battlefield" or "In'gan Kwa Chon-jang" in Korean). Dennis was the first foreign actor featured among the top 50 popular entertainers in the Korean TV Guide and the first non-Korean admitted to the Korea Television Actor Association. He later worked as assistant director on the Cannon Group's "Field Of Honor" and wrote, starred in, and produced the award-winning feature "Soldiers of Innocence" (Chae op-nun Byong sa-dul), which earned two Grand Bell Award nominations (South Korea's equivalent of the Academy Awards) and won Best New Director. After returning to the U.S., Dennis dedicated several years to developing domestic and international distribution channels for independent films and collaborated extensively on securing major funding for independent franchises.
