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TOP: Philip Ahn. ABOVE: With Anna May Wong in “Daughter of Shanghai”
When we think of Korean American trailblazers in Hollywood today, we tend to think of on-screen pair Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim of Lost, Sandra Oh of Grey’s Anatomy and funnyman Ken Jeong of film and TV. But before all of them was Philip Ahn. The late actor, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, would have turned 105 today.
He was “discovered” by none other than Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks, who insisted he get a screen test. He would go on to play more than 250 roles over 40 years, from the 1930s to the 1970s. Ironically, he would often play the despised Japanese military officer in films, with many viewers probably not realizing he was, in real life, the son of revered patriot Ahn Chang Ho who spent his life fighting Japanese colonization of Korea. More modern-day viewers may remember Ahn for his role as the wise sage in the TV series Kung Fu. Ahn’s nephew, “Flip” Cuddy, also said this about his Uncle Philip:
“Philip was always active in the Korean American community and helped the South Korean government develop diplomatic relations with the United States. When he toured with the USO to see American soldiers in Vietnam, he also visited the ROK Marine units there. He also helped develop the early Korean film industry.
“He was a talented actor and played extremely diverse roles. He played the wise Asian sage role many more times than Kung Fu. He played an American FBI agent and the romantic lead with Anna May Wong in Daughter of Shanghai. He had his bits in Hawaii with Elvis Presley and on Hawaii Five-O. He did episodes on Bonanza, Man From UNCLE, MASH and more.”
You can read more about the trailblazing Ahn here. Happy birthday, Philip Ahn!
