Hi!
I don't know how I found this one, but I recently ran across a website that featured a book about
Philip Ahn. Mr. Ahn, one of my favorite I SPY guest stars, appeared as
Papa Charlie in "Carry Me Back To Old Tsing-Tao" and the charming, but ill-fated
Tu Po in "An American Empress."
Philip Ahn as Papa Charlie in "Carry Me Back to Old Tsing-Tao"
and
as Tu Po in "An American Empress"
Mr. Ahn was born in Los Angeles of Korean ancestry. The site below provides this biographical information ... "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."
For more of his biography, check out:
http://www.dougmacaulay.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Philip&actor_last=Ahn
Besides his wonderful I SPY roles, but Mr. Ahn was also familiar to television audiences as Master Kan on "Kung Fu."
The book about Mr. Ahn is titled HOLLYWOOD ASIAN: PHILIP AHN AND THE POLITICS OF CROSS-ETHNIC PERFORMANCE by Hye Seung Chung (2006).
The site below provides lots of sections of the book to read - including one on "I SPY" on pages 51 - 54.
http://books.google.com/books?id=OZzweQ9L8dsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Philip+Ahn&sig=qA4-tgYXjw-kkWuB4Y9GtPtFpEU
Some interesting translations and definitely some ad-libs in that scene ...Most interesting!!
As always,
Tatia
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