Philip Ahn
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1905-03-29
Day of Death
1978-02-28 (72 years old)
Place of Birth
Highland Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
Philip Ahn
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philip Ahn (born Pil Lip Ahn (안필립), March 29, 1905 – February 28, 1978) was a Korean American actor. He was the first Korean American film actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ahn's first film was A Scream in the Night in 1935. He appeared in the Bing Crosby film Anything Goes, though director Lewis Milestone had initially rejected him because his English was too good for the part. His first credited roles came in 1936 in The General Died at Dawn and Stowaway, opposite Shirley Temple. He starred opposite Anna May Wong in Daughter of Shanghai (1937) and King of Chinatown (1937).
During World War II, Ahn often played Japanese villains in war films. Mistakenly thought to be Japanese, he received several death threats. He enlisted in the United States Army, having served in the Special Services as an entertainer. He was discharged early because of an injured ankle and returned to making films.
Ahn appeared in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, Around the World in Eighty Days, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Paradise, Hawaiian Style, with Elvis Presley. He got to play Korean characters in Korean War movies such as Battle Circus (1953) and Battle Hymn (1956). In 1952, Ahn made his television debut on the Schlitz Playhouse, a series he would make three additional appearances on. Ahn would also be cast in four episodes of ABC's Adventures in Paradise, four episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers crime drama Hawaiian Eye, and the CBS crime drama Hawaii Five-O. He made three appearances each on Crossroads, Bonanza, and M*A*S*H. He would also appear in two television movies.
Ahn's most notable television role was as "Master Kan" on the television series Kung Fu. A Presbyterian, Ahn felt that the Taoist homilies his character quoted did not contradict his own religious faith.
Known For
Acting
(1986)
Kung Fu: The Movie
as Master Kan
(1976)
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
as Soong
(1974)
Judgment: The Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya — General Yamashita
as General Yamashita
(1973)
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
as Chang (voice)
(1973)
The World's Greatest Athlete
as Old Chinaman
(1972)
(1970)
The Sex Serum of Dr. Blake
as Mao Tse Tung (uncredited)
(1968)
Cocoon
as Attorney General
(1967)
Thoroughly Modern Millie
as Tea
(1967)
The Karate Killers
as Sazami Kyushu
(1966)
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
as Moki Kaimana
(1963)
Shock Corridor
as Dr. Fong
(1962)
A Girl Named Tamiko
as Akiba
(1962)
Diamond Head
as Mr. Immacona
(1962)
Confessions of an Opium Eater
as Ching Foon
(1961)
One-Eyed Jacks
as Uncle
(1961)
Dragon by the Tail
as Lee Chin
(1960)
The Great Impostor
as Capt. Hun Kim
(1959)
Yesterday's Enemy
as Yamazuki
(1959)
Never So Few
as Nautaung
(1958)
Hong Kong Confidential
as Tan Chung
(1957)
Battle Hymn
as Old Man
(1957)
The Way to the Gold
as Mr. Ding - cafe owner
(1956)
Around the World in Eighty Days
as Hong Kong Citizen (uncredited)
(1955)
The Left Hand of God
as Jan Teng
(1955)
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
as Third Uncle
(1955)
Jump Into Hell
as Chinese POW Lieutenant
(1954)
The Shanghai Story
as Major Ling Wu
(1954)
His Majesty O'Keefe
as Sien Tang, Dentist
(1954)
Hell's Half Acre
as Roger Kong
(1953)
Fair Wind to Java
as Gusti
(1953)
China Venture
as Adm. Amara
(1953)
Target Hong Kong
as Sin How
(1952)
Macao
as Itzumi
(1952)
Japanese War Bride
as Eitaro Shimizu
(1952)
Battle Zone
as South Korean Guerrilla Leader
(1952)
Red Snow
as Taglu, a spy
(1951)
I Was an American Spy
as Capt. Arito
(1951)
Halls of Montezuma
as Maj. Kenji Matsuoda (aka "Nomura")
(1951)
Secrets of Monte Carlo
as Wong
(1951)
China Corsair
as Wong San
(1950)
The Big Hangover
as Dr. Lee
(1949)
State Department: File 649
as Col. Aram
(1949)
Impact
as Ah Sing
(1949)
Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture
as Wong Chung Shee
(1949)
The Sickle or the Cross
as Chinese Official
(1948)
Rogues' Regiment
as Tran Duy Gian
(1948)
The Creeper
as Ah Wong - Restaurant Owner
(1948)
The Cobra Strikes
as Kasim--Houseboy
(1948)
The Miracle of the Bells
as Ming Gow
(1948)
Women in the Night
as Professor Kunioshi
(1947)
Singapore
as Jimmy - Bartender (uncredited)
(1947)
Saigon
as Boss Merchant (uncredited)
(1947)
Intrigue
as Louie Chin
(1947)
The Chinese Ring
as Captain Kong
(1945)
Back to Bataan
as Col. Coroki
(1945)
Forever Yours
as Chinese Man (uncredited)
(1945)
Blood on the Sun
as Secret Police Capt. Yomamoto (uncredited)
(1945)
They Were Expendable
as Army Orderly (uncredited)
(1945)
Betrayal from the East
as Kato
(1945)
China Sky
as Dr. Kim
(1945)
China's Little Devils
as Farmer
(1945)
God Is My Co-Pilot
as Hong Kong Radio Announcer (uncredited)
(1944)
The Keys of the Kingdom
as Mr. Pao, Envoy for Mr. Chia
(1944)
The Purple Heart
as Saburo Goto (uncredited)
(1944)
Dragon Seed
as Leader of City People (uncredited)
(1944)
The Story of Dr. Wassell
as Ping
(1943)
The Man from Down Under
as English-Speaking Japanese Aviator (uncredited)
(1943)
China
as Lin Cho
(1943)
Behind the Rising Sun
as Japanese Officer Murdering Takahashi
(1943)
Around the World
as Foo
(1943)
(1943)
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
as Wu Tan
(1943)
December 7th
as Shinto Priest (uncredited)
(1943)
Don Winslow of the Coast Guard
as Hirota
(1942)
Across the Pacific
as Man in Theatre (uncredited)
(1942)
Submarine Raider
as First Officer Kawakami
(1942)
The Tuttles of Tahiti
as Emily's Servant (uncredited)
(1942)
Let's Get Tough
as Joe Matsui
(1942)
Ship Ahoy
as Koro Sumo
(1942)
China Girl
as Kai Young
(1942)
A Yank on the Burma Road
as Franklin Ling
(1941)
They Met in Bombay
as Japanese officer (uncredited)
(1940)
The Shadow
as Wu Yung
(1940)
Drums of Fu Manchu
as Dr. Chang
(1939)
King of Chinatown
as Robert 'Bob' Li
(1939)
North of Shanghai
as Chinese Doctor
(1939)
(1939)
Barricade
as Col. Wai Kang
(1939)
Disputed Passage
as Dr. Fung
(1939)
Panama Patrol
as Sun
(1938)
Hawaii Calls
as Julius
(1938)
Red Barry
as Hong Kong Cholly
(1938)
Charlie Chan in Honolulu
as Wing Foo
(1937)
China Passage
as Fang Tu
(1937)
Roaring Timber
as Crooner
(1937)
Daughter of Shanghai
as Kim Lee
(1937)
Thank You, Mr. Moto
as Prince Chung
(1937)
The Good Earth
as Captain (uncredited)
(1937)
Something to Sing About
as Ito (Terry's servant)
(1937)
Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts
as Sing Fung, Laundry Man
(1936)
(1936)
Stowaway
as Sun Lo
(1936)
The General Died at Dawn
as Oxford
(1935)
A Scream in the Night
as Wu Ting (as Philip Ann)
(1935)
Shanghai
as Servant
(1934)
Desirable
as Chinese Waiter