Photo: Warner Bros. Television Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Philip Ahn deserves far more recognition than he gets. As the first Korean American film actor in Hollywood, his 180-plus credits between 1935 and 1978 weren't just a busy career; they were a sustained act of forcing open doors that the era kept shut to Asian Americans. I respect that he was an activist as well, and that he made the character-actor's craft his own rather than waiting for a leading-man system that wasn't built for him. There's real dignity in spending decades reliably elevating other people's stories. His 1984 Walk of Fame star reads, to me, as overdue acknowledgment of a genuine pioneer.
Overview
Philip Ahn (Korean: 안필립; March 29, 1905 – February 28, 1978) was an American actor and activist of Korean descent. With over 180 film and television credits between 1935 and 1978, he was one of the most recognizable and prolific Asian-American character actors of his time. He is widely regarded as the first Korean American film actor in Hollywood.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Philip Ahn
- Name (Japanese)
- フィリップ・アーン
- Reading
- ふぃりっぷ・あーん
- Born
- March 29, 1905 – February 28, 1978
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Snake
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Southern California
Awards & achievements
- 1984 star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.