Beloved ‘New Girl’ Actor Ralph Ahn Dies at 95 Following Long Career

Actor Ralph Ahn, who starred as the beloved character Tran on New Girl, died on Feb. 26. He was 95. Ahn was a World War II veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy. Ahn was also the younger brother of the late character actor Philip Ahn and the son of Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho.

New Girl star Jake Johnson, who played Nick Miller, shared the sad news on his Instagram page Monday. “RIP. So much fun to work with. He gave so much with literally no lines. I loved when he was on set. I was always expecting to somehow work with him again,” Johnson wrote. “Condolences to his family/friends.” Zooey Deschanel also shared her condolences, writing, “Noooooo” and including a crying emoji in response to Johnson’s post. Ahn’s death was also reported by YNA.

Ahn became a fan-favorite among New Girl viewers for his performance as Tran, an elderly man Nick befriended. Although he hardly spoke, Tran helped out Nick often, even assisting him when he asked Jess (Deschanel) out for a date. At one point in the series, Nick dated Tran’s granddaughter Kai, played by Greta Lee.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriweather said it was Johnson who wanted to make Tran a recurring character on the show. “He’s really easy to write for,” Meriweather said in 2014. “It was Jake Johnson’s idea, originally. He texted me about it. We all thought it was so funny.” Executive producer Brett Baer said Johnson and Ahn “get along so well off-camera.”

Ahn was born in Los Angeles and was the son of Ahn Chang-ho, an important figure in the Korean-American community and a leader in the Korean independence movement. Ahn and his siblings all served in World War II. His sister, Susan Ahn Cuddy, made history as the U.S. Navy’s first female gunnery officer. She died in June 2015 at 100. Ahn’s older brother Philip was one of Hollywood’s most prolific Asian-American character actors with over 180 credits to his name between 1935 and 1978. He died in February 1978 at 72.

Philip inspired Ahn to go into acting as well. He had small roles in the war movies Mission Over Korea, The Bamboo Prison, Battle Hymn, and Prisoner of War. Ahn’s other credits include The Hook, It Takes Two, Let It Ride, Life Stinks, Eyes of an Angel, and Panther. He also starred in episodes of The Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls.