Sadly, actor Ralph Ahn has passed away at the age of 95. Ahn appeared on many shows throughout the course of his career, though many audiences might remember him most for his fan-favorite role of Tran on New Girl. The actor’s passing elicited a reaction from Jake Johnson, as well as other former cast members of the Fox comedy series.
Most of Ralph Ahn’s scenes on New Girl involved Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller, who randomly met Tran one day while sitting on a park bench. Tran then served as a father figure of sorts for Nick, and while he hardly ever said anything in the entirety of the series, he taught Nick many things. Johnson honored Ahn with a post on his Instagram page and had a few kind things to say about his former co-star.
Ralph Ahn appeared in seven episodes of New Girl but only had two lines in the entire show. Tran told Nick he was “a huge baby” while teaching him how to swim in his first appearance, and he said “drive” in his final episode appearance. Nick and Tran had some hilarious moments on New Girl, so it’s of little surprise that Jake Johnson respected Ahn and wanted to honor his passing.
Jake Johnson’s post gained the attention of other New Girl actors, and of course, the lead actress who starred in the show, Zooey Deschanel. Deschanel (who landed the gig in a surprising way) popped up in the comments of Johnson’s post, and while she didn’t have a ton to add on top of what Johnson said, her comment indicated she was sad to hear about Ralph Ahn’s passing.
😢 Noooooo
Lamorne Morris, who played Winston on New Girl, also took some time to honor and pay respects to Ralph Ahn. Morris shared a photo of Ahn on the show and said a few words about what Ahn’s Tran brought to the comedy series.
To say that Ralph Ahn had the best scenes of the episodes he appeared in is high praise, especially from an actor like Lamorne Morris. Some of Morris’ scenes as Winston are among the best of New Girl (and Schmidt’s scenes are a close second), so to see him give those types of props to Ahn for his quiet but emotive performance as Tran is really cool. Hopefully, Ahn’s loved ones can take solace in the fact that his role on one show had such a positive impact on its cast, as well as its fans. If there’s ever a reunion for this show, hopefully, Tran gets a reference.
Although Ahn's role as Tran might be the most memorable of the later years of his life, he had a long list of TV credits to his name, including Gilmore Girls, The Shield, ER, and Suddenly Susan, among others. CinemaBlend would like to send its condolences to the friends and family of Ralph Ahn and wish them well during this tough time.
