Ralph Ahn

Ralph Philander Ahn (born September 28, 1926) is a Korean American actor, known for Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996), Amityville: A New Generation (1993) and Panther (1995). 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.

This is a Korean name; the family name is Ahn.
Ralph Ahn
Ahn siblings, with Ralph on the left, Philip in the center, and Susan on the right
Born
Philander Ahn

(1926-09-28) September 28, 1926
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materLos Angeles State College
OccupationActor, Teacher
Years active1940’s–2018
Korean name
Hangul
안필영
Hanja
安必英
Revised RomanizationAn Piryeong
McCune–ReischauerAn P`iryǒng

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 the World War ll. In response, Ralph joined the U.S Navy in 1944 to fight the Japanese.[3] He is one of only an estimated 100 Korean-Americans that 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.

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. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. Ahn, Ralph (November 19, 2013). "Interview with Ralph Ahn". WONGOON (Interview). Interviewed by Josep Cha. Los Angeles: Soo-Young Chin.
  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.
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