- Born
- Died
- Birth nameKam Tong Chun
- The Asian-American actor Kam Fong, best known for his co-starring role as Chin Ho in the original Hawaii Five-O (1968) TV series, was born Kam Tong Chun on May 27, 1918 in Kalihi, Hawaii. (The name Fong was the result of a teacher incorrectly teaching him how to write his name. The name stuck and he later took it as his legal name.) After graduating from high school, he worked as a boiler-maker in the Pearl Harbor shipyard and was there on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attack on the naval base brought America into World War II.
He joined the police force in 1944, serving as cop for 16 years. While still on the force, he made his feature film debut in the B-movie Ghost of the China Sea (1958) (1958), following it up with a bit part in The Lost Missile (1958) (1958). After his retirement from the police department in 1960, he acted in community theater while working as a disc jockey and a real estate agent.
Other bit parts followed in the early '60s, but it was "Hawaii Five-O" that made him part of TV history. He appeared on the show for 10 of its 12 seasons, as well as in the 1997 Hawaii Five-O (1997) TV movie that reunited the original cast, despite Kam Fong having been killed off in season 10. His son Dennis Chun has appeared intermittently in the 2010 Hawaii Five-0 (2010) revival as SGT Duke Lukela.
Suffering from lung cancer, Kam Fong died on October 18, 2002 in Honolulu. He was 84 years old.- IMDb mini biography by: Jon C. Hopwood
- SpousesGladys Lindo(February 7, 1948 - August 9, 2002) (her death, 4 children)Esther(? - June 8, 1944) (her death, 2 children)
- Kam Fong was employed as boilermaker at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. He reported to work just after the attack and stayed there for three days. "I stood over the belly-up mine-layer USS Ogalala, the only ship with a Hawaiian captain, and cried. I looked across the bay and saw the battleship USS Arizona burning and I cried," said Fong. He lived in Kalihi during WWII. On 8 June 1944, his first wife and two children were killed when two B-25s collided and the burning wreckage fell onto the homes of his neighborhood.
- Was a Honolulu police officer from 1946-1962, when he retired and went into business as a real estate agent.
- Campaigned as a candidate in the 1989 election for Governor of Hawaii.
- Kam Fong's birth name was Kam Tong Chun, which meant "golden temple" in Chinese.
- Originally auditioned to play Wo Fat in Hawaii Five O, but was cast as Chin Ho Kelly instead.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content