Ralph Ahn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Korean name, the family name is Ahn.
Ralph Ahn
Ralph Ahn - World War II (cropped).jpg
Ralph Ahn in his World War II Navy uniform
Born
Philander Ahn

(1926-09-28) September 28, 1926 (age 95)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materLos Angeles State College
OccupationActor, teacher
Years active1940s–2018
Korean name
Hangul
안필영
Hanja
安必英
Revised RomanizationAn Piryeong
McCune–ReischauerAn P`iryǒng

Ralph Philander Ahn (born September 28, 1926) is an American actor. He is the son of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, one of Korea's most respected patriotic figures and also a historical figure in America.[1] His father's contributions to the Korean independence movement influenced Ahn's involvement in politics, World War II, and support for the Korean community of Los Angeles.

As an actor, he is known for his roles in Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996), Amityville: A New Generation (1993) and Panther (1995), as well as in the sitcom, New Girl as the silent but wise character Tran.

Biography[]

Ralph Ahn was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents were amongst the first wave of Korean immigrants in 1902.[2] They were the first Korean couple to immigrate from Korea to the US mainland.

Three years after his father's death, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War ll. In response, Ralph joined the U.S Navy in 1944 to fight the Japanese.[3] He is one of an estimated 100 Korean-Americans who served over the course of the war.[4]

After World War II, Ahn was influenced by his older brother, Philip Ahn, one of the first Asian American actors, and became an actor. Between 1964-1968, while on hiatus from acting, he taught Business Math and was the Head Coach of the Varsity Football team at Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, California.

Ahn siblings, with Ralph on the left, Philip in the center, and Susan on the right

On January 1, 2017, Ralph Ahn welcomed the cast members of the popular South Korean variety show Infinite Challenge to Los Angeles as a representative of the Korean-American community.[5] In March of the same year, he spoke at a ceremony in Riverside, California honoring Pachappa Camp as the first Korean Settlement in the US.[6]

Filmography[]

References[]

  1. ^ Davé, Shilipa; Nishime, Leilani; Oren, Tasha G. (2006). East Main Street: Asian American popular culture. ISBN 9780814719633. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Ahn, Ralph (November 19, 2013). "Interview with Ralph Ahn". WONGOON (Interview). Interviewed by . Los Angeles: .
  3. ^ "First Female Asian Officer Speaks About Her Naval Service". Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  4. ^ Kim Young Sik, Ph.D. (9 November 2003). "The Korean Americans in the War of Independence". East Asia. Association for Asia Research. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  5. ^ Hyun Kyung Lee. (20 August 2016). "무한도전' 도산 안창호 막내아들 안필영 "아버지 얼굴 한 번도 본적 없다"…외손자 필립 안 커디와 만남". Newspim. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  6. ^ Agnes Constante. (24 March 2017). "California City Honors First Korean Settlement in U.S." NBC News. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  7. ^ "New Girl Review: "Menzies" (Episode 2.07)". Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2017.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""