Gilbert Francis Lani Damian Kauhi (October 17, 1937 – May 3, 2004), also known by the stage names Zulu and Zoulou, was an American actor and comedian. He is remembered largely for his portrayal of "Kono Kalakaua" on the long-running television program Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...

.

Career

Kauhi was born in Hilo on the "Big Island" of Hawaii

Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...

. He began his career in Honolulu as a stand-up comedian, mimic, and singer, described by one journalist as "part Godfrey Cambridge

Godfrey Cambridge

-External links:*...

, part Zero Mostel

Zero Mostel

Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel was an American actor of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version...

. His nightly live show was a popular attraction at C'est Si Bon Supper Club in the Waikiki

Waikiki

Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....

 section of Honolulu before, during, and well after his brief television career.

In 1968 he landed the role of the burly state police detective Kono on Hawaii Five-O. He left after four seasons, frustrated by the image his character projected as a "dumb Hawaiian." "Jack Lord

Jack Lord

John Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. Lord appeared in feature films earlier in his career,...

, the show's star, wouldn't let him do anything," said a co-worker.

"My friends think I'm a trained-animal act," he said, in a 1971 interview. " 'Yes, boss; no, boss.' Well, some day this animal will be laughing all the way to the bank." He later hosted a Honolulu show called "Big Z Movie Time".

Kauhi was also an accomplished surfer; he was known in Hawaii by the honorific "Waikiki Beach Boy."

Death

Kauhi died in Hilo at the age of 66 from complications due to diabetes. Per his wishes, his ashes were scattered off Waikiki.

Filmography

• I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew (1968)
• Hawaii Five-O
  Hawaii Five-O
  Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
  
  (1968–1972)
• The Brian Keith Show
  The Brian Keith Show
  The Brian Keith Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1972 to March 1974. The series stars Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares.-Synopsis:...
  
  (1972–1973)
• Code Name: Diamond Head (1977)
• The Paradise Connection (1979)
• Charlie's Angels
  Charlie's Angels
  Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
  
  (1981)
• Magnum, P.I.
  Magnum, P.I.
  Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
  
  (1982)
• Hawaii Five-O (1997 pilot for revival)

External links

• Find A Grave Memorial