Frank Kauer

Last updated
Frank Kauer
Born2000 (age 24–25)
Education University of Bristol
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active2011–
Television Hollyoaks

Frank Kauer (born 2000) is a British-Chinese actor. Working professional since he was 10-years-old, he made his acting debut in the 2011 movie Horrid Henry: The Movie and also had roles in the television series Spy (2012), Doctor Foster (2017) and Into the Badlands (2018). He played leading roles in the short films A Cry For Sore Eyes (2017) and Molly (2015) and also appeared in a stage production of Curse of Cranholme Abbey at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. From 2021 to 2024, he played the role of Mason Chen-Williams on the British soap opera Hollyoaks .

Contents

Early and personal life

Frank Kauer was born in 2000 and he is British and Chinese. [1] [2] [3] He lives in London. [1] He obtained a BA in Film and Television from University of Bristol and then went on to pursue an advanced screen acting course at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. [1] He likes playing football and practising martial arts, and he has trained in Wing Chun since the age of 15, which he hopes to bring into his acting career. [2] He also enjoys martial arts movies. [2]

Career

Kauer has worked in a professional capacity since he was 10 years old. [1] He portrayed Spotless Sam in the 2011 film Horrid Henry: The Movie , marking his professional acting debut. [1] [2] He described it as being "such a mad experience" being on the red carpet for the first time in his life. [2] He played Nick Chin in the second series of the British sitcom Spy , which aired in 2012. [4] [5] He also portrayed Max in the British psychological thriller television series Doctor Foster and had a guest role in the third season of the American action drama television Into the Badlands , which he travelled to Dublin for. [2] [6] [7] Working with Suranne Jones in Doctor Foster encouraged him to pursue an acting career. [2] He also had main roles in the short films A Cry For Sore Eyes (2017), which his school friend directed, and Molly (2025). [1] [2] At the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he had a role in the stage adaptation of Curse of Cranholme Abbey. [1]

"Working on a soap has brought very different challenges and experiences compared to other film and TV productions. It's exciting being able to focus on and study my character over a long period of time and watch his journey evolve. I've been able to dive deep into the world of Hollyoaks through having a real say in how to perform certain lines, scenes, and storylines, and working on short and long-term dynamics with on-screen family members. Also, working with loads of amazing actors makes my job easier too."

–Kauer on his Hollyoaks experience (2022) [2]

In 2021, Kauer joined the cast of the British soap opera Hollyoaks as 15-year-old Mason Chen-Williams, the youngest member of the new Chen-Williams family unit introduced to the soap opera that year. [2] [8] [9] His first appearance aired in December 2021. [8] The family was longlisted for "Best Family" in the 2022 Inside Soap Awards, but they did not make shortlist. [10] Kauer related to Mason due to being Eurasian himself and "experiencing the challenges growing up mixed race brought". [2] His first few months on set were impacted by restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. [2] A notable storyline for Kauer was Mason being manipulated and drawn into radical misogyny and incel culture, which Kauer did research for. [2] [11] [12] The plot was nominated for "Best Storyline" at the 2023 Inside Soap Awards. [13] Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy believed that Mason's radical misogyny storyline was a highlight for the Chen-Williams family. [14]

Despite not often checking social media, Kauer noted that viewers had mixed reactions to his character, with some believing him to be a victim. [3] He added that he and the cast of his onscreen family were very close and that he had even gone on a weekend trip to Mallorca with some of them in 2022. [15] Most of Kauer's colleagues who were portraying other teenagers in the soap opera were younger than him, other than Ellie Henry, who was the same age as him. [16] [3] Kauer would practise Wing Chun with his co-star Dominic Power between scenes. [17] Kauer made his final appearance on Hollyoaks in the episode airing on 8 May 2024, with his departure being one of many that year due to a reduction in cast and crew of the soap because of the soap reducing its number of weekly episodes. [18]

Credits

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2011 Horrid Henry: The Movie Spotless SamComedy film [1]
2012 Spy Nick ChinSeries 2 [4]
2017 Doctor Foster MaxSeries 2 [6]
2017A Cry For Sore EyesRyanShort film [1]
2018 Into the Badlands Young SonnyGuest role (1 episode) [7]
2021–24 Hollyoaks Mason Chen-Williams Regular role [8]
2025MollyRyanShort film (lead role) [1]

Theatre credits

YearProductionVenueRef.
2018Curse of Cranholme Abbey Edinburgh Festival Fringe [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Frank Kauer". Spotlight . Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Frank Kauer". TresA Magazine. 4 October 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Penwill, Alice (21–27 January 2023). ""Mason is a victim in all of this!"". Inside Soap . No. 3. pp. 48–49.
  4. 1 2 "Spy". British Comedy Guide . Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "Frank Kauer". British Comedy Guide . Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Young Sunny". TV Maze. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Harp, Justin (18 December 2021). "Hollyoaks announces Chen-Williams family – here's how the show's newcomers are all connected". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Knight, Dominic (18 December 2021). "The Chen-Williams family shake-up Hollyoaks". ATV Today. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Inside Soap Awards announces nominations and new category for 2022 event". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. 10 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  11. ↑ Anderton, Joe (3 September 2022). "Hollyoaks star Frank Kauer opens up over 'disturbing' new Mason story". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Dubey, Shivani (21 January 2023). "Hollyoaks star Frank Kauer shares hopes for Mason's future after Eric plot". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Dainty, Sophie (26 July 2023). "Hollyoaks star Frank Kauer promises redemption story for Mason Chen-Williams". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  14. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (13 April 2023). "Hollyoaks has failed the Chen-Williams family as another cast exit is confirmed". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Penwill, Alice (21–27 January 2023). "Just like family!". Inside Soap . No. 3. p. 49.
  16. ↑ Ellis, Sarah (8–14 July 2023). ""Freya's changed – she's been through a lot of trauma"". Inside Soap . No. 27. pp. 54–55.
  17. ↑ "You ask...They answer! Dominic Power". Inside Soap . No. 8. 4–10 March 2023. p. 54.
  18. ↑ Anderton, Joe (8 May 2024). "Hollyoaks airs exit for regular character after tragic death". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
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