Philip Ahn

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Philip Ahn (center) with his two siblings in the US Army (1942)

Philip Ahn (born March 29, 1905 in Highland Park , Los Angeles , † February 28, 1978 in Los Angeles) was an American actor of Korean descent. He was born under the name Pil Lip Ahn .

Life

Ahn's mother, Helen, was the second Korean woman officially registered in the United States in US history . She came to California with her husband An Chang-ho in 1902 . Father An Chang-ho was the first Korean community leader in the United States. Ahn first came into contact with the film as a high school student when he was visiting the filming of The Thief of Baghdad . Douglas Fairbanks did film tests with him and wanted to hire him for the film, but Ahn's mother would not allow him.

After high school, Ahn worked in the rice fields of a California Korean. His father temporarily went back to his homeland on the Korean peninsula to fight for independence from Japan . Ahn then became the family breadwinner. It was not until 1934 that he became a student at the University of Southern California . He took acting courses at university and eventually got his family's permission to practice this profession. He first appeared in a film in 1935. During the Second World War he took on numerous roles of Japanese soldiers in war films . He then received death threats from American viewers who saw him as a Japanese enemy. He then joined the US Army .

He played his last major role in the 1970s at the side of David Carradine in the television series Kung Fu, which is also popular in Germany . He played the Master Kan here . Overall, Philip Ahn has appeared in over 170 films over the course of his career, although he was not even featured in the credits for most of the films.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ahn, Philip
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ahn, Pil Lip (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 29, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Highland Park , Los Angeles
DATE OF DEATH February 28, 1978
Place of death los Angeles