Ralph Ahn Dies: ‘New Girl’ Actor Whose Credits Date To Early 1950s Was 95
Ralph Ahn, who recurred as Nick’s mostly silent friend on Fox’s New Girl and had credits dozens of credits spanning more than 65 years, has died. He was 95. Korean American Federation of Los Angeles reported his February 26 death but did not provide details.
In his signature role, Ahn played Tran on the Zooey Deschanel-led Fox sitcom New Girl, appearing in seven episodes spanning its 2011-18 run. He was a mostly smiling and nodding grandfather figure to co-lead Nick (Jake Johnson) and spoke only two lines of dialogue — one in Tran’s first appearance and one in his last.
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His long list of credits ranges from such 1950s TV series as Terry and the Pirates, 21 Beacon Street and China Smith popular more recent shows including ER, Gilmore Girls, The King of Queens, The Shield, Suddenly Susan and Walker, Texas Ranger. He also had small roles in a number of feature films including Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Amityville: A New Generation, The Perfect Weapon, Let It Rise, Younger and Younger and Mel Brooks’ Life Stinks.
Born on September 28, 1926, in Los Angeles, Ahn was the youngest child of Ahn Chang-ho, aka Dosan, a Korean independence activist who was among the earliest Korean immigrants to the United States. The younger Ahn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and eventually followed his older brother Philip into acting.
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