Philip Ahn
(1905 - 1978)Another of the great American Asian actors who were typecast during World War II and later found his niche. Philip Ahn was a somber-faced, serious type but with a kindly demeanor. He was born on March 29, 1905 in Los Angeles, California of Korean heritage. His father was a Korean diplomat and one of the founders of the Korean Republic who died in a Japanese prison camp. He attended the University of California and made his film debut in 1935 in "A Scream in the Night", as Wu Ting, thus beginning a career of over 100 films and numerous TV appearances. In his early films he played the gamut of Oriental characters but as the War approached he was ironically cast mostly as Japanese villains. His other film credits include: "The General Died at Dawn" (1935) as Oxford; "Klondike Annie" (1936) as Wing; "Thank You, Mr. Moto" (1937) as Prince Chung; "China Passage" (1937) as Dr. Fang Tu; "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (1938) as Wing Foo; "Island of Lost Men" (1939) as Sam Ring; "The Shadow" (1940) as Wu Yung; "Buck Rogers" (1940) serial, as Prince Tallen; "Drums of Fu Manchu" (1940) as Dowlah-Rao, a Dacoit; "Across the Pacific" (1942) uncredited, as Man in Theater; "Submarine Raider" (1942) as 1st Officer Kawakami; "China Girl" (1942) as Dr. Young; "Don Winslow of the Coast Guard" (1943) a serial, as Hirota; "Adventures of Smilin' Jack" (1943) as Wu Tan; "The Purple Heart" (1944) as Saburo Goto; "The Story of Dr. Wassell" (1944) as Ping; "Keys of the Kingdom" (1944) with Gregory Peck, as Mr. Pao; "Dragon Seed" (1944) uncredited, as Leader of the City People; "God is My Co-Pilot" (1945) as Japanese Announcer; "Back to Bataan" (1945) as Col. Kuroki; "Miracle of the Bells" (1948) as Ming Gow; "The Creeper" (1948) with Rondo Hatton, as Wong the Restaurateur; "Halls of Montezuma" (1950) with Richard Widmark, as Nomura; "Macao" (1952) as Itzumi; "His Majesty O'Keefe" (1953) as Sien Tang; "Battle Circus" (1953) as a Korean Prisoner; "Battle Hymn" (1957) as Lun-Wa, a Korean; "The Great Impostor" (1960) with Tony Curtis, as Hun Kin ; "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961) as Uncle and his last film "Portrait of a Hitman" (1977) as Wong. He appeared in made for TV movies including: "Kung Fu" (1972) and "The Killer Who Wouldn't Die" (1976). He was a regular on the series: "Mr. Garlund" (1960) as Po Chang and his best known role on "Kung Fu" (1972-75) as Master Kan. He made guest appearances on many series including: "I Spy"; "My Three Sons"; "Mission: Impossible"; "Hawaii 5-0" and "M*A*S*H." He died after surgery for lung cancer on February 28, 1978 in Los Angeles, California at age 72.
From Great Character Actors, Page 4.
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