Kam Fong Chun, actor played detective Chin Ho Kelly in a television series "Hawaii five-O"
died of cancer at 84 on October 18, 2002. As reported by Reuter, Mr. Chun, a native of Hawaii,
working under the stage name Kam Fong, appeared on "Hawaii Five-O" from its debut in 1968 to
1978, two years before the series was canceled. He was the trusted, tough detective working
alongside the show's main character, Steve McGarrett, who was played by Jack Lord. Lord died
in January 1998.
Mr. Chun was a real-life Honolulu Police Department officer for 16 years before leaving the force
in 1959 to put more time into acting. To help pay the bills, he ran a real estate business and talent
agency before joining the CBS-TV crime drama. His son said that adversity early in life shaped his
father. In June 1944, the actor's first wife and two young children were killed when a pair of
military bombers collided above Honolulu and crashed into their home below. (Source: Reuter,
Nov. 1, 2002)