My Take
Taylor Wily packed several lifetimes into one big, warm presence. Most people know him as Kamekona, the shrimp-truck entrepreneur and lovable fixer on Hawaii Five-0 and then Magnum P.I. — a role he made so effortlessly charming that the character became a fan favorite across both shows. What a lot of those fans may not realize is that they were watching a genuine pioneer: Wily, fighting as Teila Tuli, was literally in the very first UFC fight ever televised back in 1993, which is an insane piece of combat sports history to carry around. Before Hollywood, he was a serious sumo competitor too. Born and raised in Honolulu, he was the embodiment of Hawaiian aloha spirit on screen, and every scene he was in felt warmer for it. He passed away in June 2024 just days after his 56th birthday, and the outpouring from his Hawaii Five-0 castmates made clear he was just as beloved off camera as on it.
Overview
Taylor Tuli Wily (June 14, 1968 – June 20, 2024) was an American actor, sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in UFC where he was billed as Teila Tuli and also competed in sumo wrestling. As an actor, he was known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on both Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Taylor Wily
- Name (Japanese)
- テイラ・トゥリ
- Reading
- ていら・とぅり
- Born
- June 14, 1968 – June 20, 2024
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Monkey
- Origin
- Honolulu, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- rikishi / actor / mixed martial arts fighter / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.