Korean-American actor Ralph Ahn passed away at the age of 95 on Feb. 26, according to the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, which confirmed the news to Deadline on Monday but did not provide details.
Though his acting career spanned an impressive 65 years, Ahn was best known for playing Tran on New Girl, as a quasi-best friend-grandfather type character to Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller. Throughout the series run, Ahn appeared in a total of seven episodes. However, the mostly silent character spoke only two lines of dialogue — in his first and last appearances of the series.
After news of Ahn’s passing was reported, the stars of New Girl took to social media to mourn the actor.
“So much fun to work with,” wrote Johnson on Instagram. “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. Condolences to his family/friends.”
Although Zooey Deschanel did not pen her own tribute, she commented “Noooooo” on Johnson’s post.
“Damn. RIP to Ralph Ahn,” added Lamorne Morris, who played Winston on the series. “He played Tran on New Girl. Always the funniest scenes in the episode. This man lived a lot of life, keep his friends and family in yall thoughts and prayers.”
“Thank you Ralph Ahn for being the best,” tweeted Olivia Munn, who had a recurring role as Nick’s love interest in season two of the Fox series. “You brought so much joy to our lives and helped pave the way for all of the AAPI actors that would follow you. We love you. RIP.”
Hannah Simone, who played Cece, shared her thoughts in her Instagram stories.
“Thank you Ralph Ahn for being the best,” she wrote. “You brought so much joy to our lives and helped pave the way for all of the AAPI actors that would follow you. We love you. RIP.”
In addition to New Girl, Ahn’s long list of television acting credits includes ER, Gilmore Girls, The King of Queens, The Shield, Suddenly Susan, and Walker, Texas Ranger. Likewise, his big-screen credits include a number of small roles in films such as Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Amityville: A New Generation, and Mel Brooks’ 1991 comedy, Life Stinks.
