‘Hawaii Five-O’-Actor was 85 years old – Deadline

Al Harrington, a Samoan-American actor who had roles in the original Hawaii Five-0 The TV series and its reboot decades later died of a stroke in Honolulu last week on Tuesday. He was 85.

His death was announced by his family.

“I was honored to love Al, whom I have called ‘Harrington’ for 20 years,” said his wife, Rosa Harrington, in part in a statement. “We were an inseparable team; best friends and he was my royal polynesian king. Al embodied the purest, life-giving values ​​of Aloha and started each day with a smile. “

Born a Tausau Ta’a in American Samoa, Harrington moved to Honolulu with his mother when he was three years old. After attending both Menlo College and Stanford University, he began teaching at the University of Hawaii and also worked in the entertainment field in Waikiki.

In 1972, he joined the cast of the hit police drama from CBS Hawaii Five-0 with Jack Lord and Detective Ben Kokua (Harrington had appeared in other roles on the series since its debut in 1968). He stayed on the show as a regular cast member until it was canceled in 1975.

The actor returned to the hit franchise with the 2011 restart of CBS, appearing as the character Mamo Kahike until the show was canceled in 2018.

Between the two series, Harrington appeared frequently on television, with roles The Jeffersons, Magnum, PI, Jake and the Fatman, Scrubs, and many others. His film credits include The homecoming of Jimmy Whitecloud, Forrest Gump and White catch 2.

“Admiration, respect, humor, peace and joy are the attributes that can be ascribed to Al Harrington,” said his longtime agent Gregory David Mayo.

In addition to his wife, Harrington leaves behind sons Alema and Tau, daughters Summer Harrington and Cassi Harrington Palmer and other extended families.