Famous People From Hawaii

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Updated August 23, 2024 38.2K views 488 items

Beyond the allure of pristine beaches and verdant landscapes, Hawaii holds another claim to fame: being the birthplace of numerous prominent figures who have left indelible marks across various fields. Indeed, many celebrities hail from Hawaii -actors, musicians, and even world leaders who have walked its sandy shores and absorbed the spirit of the islands. It's no wonder that famous people from Hawaii continue to make waves in various industries across the globe.

For instance, Barack Obama left an real mark as the 44th President of the United States while Jason Momoa has taken Hollywood by storm with his roles in blockbusters like Aquaman and Game of Thrones. The music industry has also felt Hawaii's influence through Grammy-winning artists like Bruno Mars, whose infectious tunes never fail to get feet tapping, and Bette Midler, whose powerhouse vocals have produced countless hits over her career. These stars are just a few examples among many celebrities born in Hawaii

The accomplishments of these remarkable individuals demonstrate how Hawaii has cultivated exceptional talent thanks to its many cultures and traditions. Actors born in Hawaii like Jason Momoa demonstrate their prowess with every new role they take on; meanwhile big names such as Bruno Mars push musical boundaries with innovative songs and unforgettable performances. 

As they continue to shape global conversations and pull at hearts around the world through their achievements and successes, it becomes evident that these famous people from Hawaii possess an undeniable spark. Hawaii stands as a birthplace for some of the biggest, best, and most important individuals today.

  • Barack Obama, born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961, has been a significant figure in American politics. He made history as the first African American to hold the office of President of the United States. Before his presidency, he served as a senator for Illinois from 2005 to 2008. Obama's early life was marked by diverse experiences that shaped his worldview. His mother Stanley Ann Dunham - an anthropologist - and father Barack Obama Sr. - an economist from Kenya - divorced when he was young. He spent part of his childhood living with his grandparents in Hawaii and four years in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather Lolo Soetoro. These formative years instilled in him a deep appreciation for different cultures and perspectives. His career path is characterized by dedication to public service and law. After earning degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School – where he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review – Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago before serving three terms representing the 13th District on the Illinois Senate from 1997 until 2004. As President (from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017), Obama passed several key pieces of legislation including The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (known commonly as Obamacare) which expanded health insurance coverage for Americans; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Bill aimed at financial sector regulation; and Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act allowing gay people openly serve military.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Kelly Hu
    Age: 56
    Kelly Hu is an accomplished actress and former fashion model of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian descent. Born on February 13, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hu's journey into the spotlight began when she won the Miss Teen USA title in 1985, becoming the first Asian-American to do so. After her pageant success, Hu ventured into acting, making appearances in popular television series such as Growing Pains and 21 Jump Street. However, it was in the 1990s that she truly came to prominence with roles in daytime soap opera Sunset Beach and nighttime drama Nash Bridges. Hu's career took a turn towards action-oriented roles in the early 2000s. Her role as Lady Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United and as Cassandra in The Scorpion King showcased her physical prowess and martial arts skills, enhancing her reputation in Hollywood. She continued to display versatility in her acting, moving between television, film, and voiceover roles in various genres. Among her notable voice-over roles are Stacy Hirano in the animated series Phineas and Ferb and Cheshire in Young Justice. In addition to her acting talent, Hu is a passionate advocate for human rights and environmental causes. She has been involved with organizations like Reef Check Hawaii and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment. Despite her busy schedule, Hu has consistently made time to give back to her community, demonstrating a deep commitment to philanthropy.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Kelly Preston
    Dec. at 57 (1962-2020)
    Kelly Preston was an American actress and model of high repute, whose career spanned more than three decades in Hollywood. Born on October 13, 1962, in Honolulu, Hawaii, she spent her formative years in Iraq and Australia. After completing her education at Punahou School, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for acting. An alumni of the prestigious University of Southern California, she studied drama and theater and honed her skills under the tutelage of renowned acting coach, Milton Katselas. Preston's acting debut came in the year 1980 with the romantic comedy film '10', after which she bagged a series of roles in both films and television. However, it was her performance in the 1985 comedy 'Mischief' that catapulted her to fame. Her versatility as an actress was evident in the wide range of characters she portrayed, from a determined mother in 'For Love of the Game' to a savvy businesswoman in 'Jerry Maguire'. Over the course of her career, she worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Beyond her acting career, Preston was known for her philanthropic efforts. She was an active supporter of several charitable organizations, particularly those focusing on children's health and education. Additionally, she was also a part of numerous environmental campaigns. In her personal life, she was married to actor John Travolta, with whom she shared three children. Two years after she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, Preston died at the age of 57 at her home in Clearwater, Florida on July 12, 2020.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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  • Lauren Graham, a name synonymous with television, is an American actress best known for her roles as Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls and Sarah Braverman on Parenthood. Born on March 16, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Graham spent her formative years in Northern Virginia. Her journey into the world of acting began at Langley High School and continued at Barnard College where she studied English Literature. Post her graduation, she attended Southern Methodist University, earning a Master's degree in acting. Career-wise, Graham's breakthrough arrived when she landed the role of Lorelai Gilmore in the critically acclaimed series Gilmore Girls. The show ran successfully from 2000 to 2007, and her portrayal of a witty, independent single mother earned her widespread recognition. Following this, she starred in Parenthood from 2010 to 2015, further strengthening her position in the industry. Alongside her television career, Graham also made several film appearances, including Bad Santa, Evan Almighty, and The Pacifier. Apart from acting, Lauren Graham has a flair for writing. Her debut novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe, was published in 2013 and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. She followed that success with a collection of personal essays titled Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between). Both books exhibit her knack for humor and storytelling. Whether it's through her characters or her written words, Lauren Graham continues to charm audiences with her talent and charisma.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • As gifted as she was quirky, Shannyn Sossamon followed her independent spirit to build a fascinatingly diverse acting career. Born Oct. 3, 1978 in Honolulu, HI, Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon added the distinctive spelling of "Shannyn" as a teenager growing up in Nevada, where her exotic beauty and rebellious nature helped her stand out. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a dance career, but occasionally booked a commercial or a TV bit part. Sossamon's focus only centered on acting after a casting director discovered her DJ-ing at Gwyneth Paltrow's birthday party. She landed her star-making role as Heath Ledger's fiery love interest, Lady Jocelyn, in "A Knight's Tale" (2001), earning nominations for three MTV Movie Awards and two Teen Choice Awards. Sossamon scored follow-up successes in the abstinence comedy "40 Days and 40 Nights" (2002) and the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation "The Rules of Attraction" (2002), but made her biggest media splash when, the following year, she famously named her firstborn Audio Science. Although she began her career as a leading lady, Sossamon increasingly sought out quirky character roles in such projects as "Wristcutters: A Love Story" (2006) and "The Holiday" (2006), although she did find time to topline the horror flick "One Missed Call" (2008). The actress found a steadier home on television, earning series regular roles as a ghost on "Dirt" (FX, 2007-08), a vampire on "Moonlight" (CBS, 2007-08) and a gallery owner on "How to Make it in America" (HBO, 2010-11).
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Jarah-Evelyn Makalapua Mariano (born November 23, 1984) is an American model best known for her appearances in the 2008 and 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions, as well as Victoria's Secret.
    • Birthplace: Lihue, USA, Hawaii
  • Bruno Mars
    Age: 39
    Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His multi-faceted talents as a singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer have propelled him to the zenith of stardom, earning him numerous accolades and making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Mars's journey into the music world began at a tender age, heavily influenced by his musically inclined family. He moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue his music career, signing with Motown Records in 2004. However, his career truly took off when he signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. With a unique blend of different musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, hip hop, and rock, Mars soon became a force to be reckoned with. His debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), was a critical and commercial success, spawning hit singles like "Just the Way You Are," "Grenade," and "The Lazy Song." Over the years, Bruno Mars has proven his mettle not just as a performer, but also as a songwriter, penning hits for other artists before his solo career took off. His contribution to the music industry has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Grammy Awards. Beyond his own albums, Mars's collaborations with other artists, such as Mark Ronson on the international blockbuster "Uptown Funk," have further amplified his global popularity.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • A dynamic force in Hollywood, Jason Momoa has successfully carved out a niche for himself as an actor with both depth and physical prowess. Born Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa on August 1, 1979, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Momoa's unique heritage is a blend of Native Hawaiian from his father's side and German, Irish, and Native American from his mother's side. Raised in Norwalk, Iowa, by his mother, Momoa's early life was far removed from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. With an initial career path veering towards marine biology, destiny had other plans for this ruggedly handsome individual. Momoa's acting career took flight when he was cast as Jason Ioane in the popular television series Baywatch Hawaii (1999-2001). However, it was his portrayal of Khal Drogo, the fierce Dothraki warlord in the critically acclaimed series Game of Thrones (2011-2012) that catapulted him into international stardom. His performance was lauded for its intense physicality and emotional complexity, making him a fan favorite. Further success followed with his casting as Aquaman/Arthur Curry in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). His subsequent standalone movie Aquaman (2018) became a blockbuster hit, solidifying Momoa's status as a leading man in Hollywood. Away from the camera, Momoa was married to actress Lisa Bonet from 2017-2022. The couple shares two children, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf. A committed environmental activist, Momoa uses his platform to raise awareness of climate change and ocean pollution. He also practices what he preaches, having started a company, Mananalu, which aims to eradicate single-use plastic water bottles. Equally noteworthy is his passion for the arts, including painting and playing guitar. Jason Momoa's life is an intriguing blend of on-screen heroics and off-screen activism, truly making him a multifaceted personality in the world of entertainment.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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  • Kiana Tom
    Age: 59
    Kiana Tom (born March 14, 1965) is an American television host, fitness expert, author, actress, and businesswoman. She is best known as the hostess and creator of Kiana's Flex Appeal on ESPN.
    • Birthplace: Maui, Hawaii, USA
  • Mike Starr
    Dec. at 44 (1966-2011)
    Michael Christopher Starr (April 4, 1966 – March 8, 2011) was an American musician best known as the original bassist for the rock band Alice in Chains, which he played with from the band's formation in 1987 until January 1993. He was also a member of Sato, Gypsy Rose and Sun Red Sun. Starr died of a prescription drug overdose at the age of 44 on March 8, 2011.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Esera Tavai Tuaolo (born July 11, 1968), nicknamed "Mr. Aloha," is a former American professional football player. He was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 years.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Brian Adams
    Dec. at 43 (1964-2007)
    Brian Keith Adams (April 14, 1964 – August 13, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. Adams is well known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name Brian Adams. Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, he was a two-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion and a one-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion, among other accomplishments. He was a challenger for various singles titles in the WWF and WCW, including the WWF Championship. In 2002, he briefly tried a career in boxing until retiring due to back and shoulder injuries. Five years later, he died of accidental respiratory failure from a combination of buprenorphine, carisoprodol, chlordiazepoxide and alprazolam.
    • Birthplace: USA, Hawaii, Kailua
  • Leilani Bishop (born September 11, 1976) is an American model. At 15, she was discovered on Kauai by a model agent Cindy Kauanui of Jet Set Models and subsequently appeared on the covers of Flare and Allure magazines, and modeled for clients such as Tommy Hilfiger, Balenciaga, Esprit, and Victoria's Secret. In 1994 Bishop appeared on the cover of Hole's album Live Through This dressed in beauty pageant attire, with mascara running down her face. She was photographed by Ellen von Unwerth.In 2000, she played the role of Resin, "the rudest and most selfish and narcissistic cover girl ever to sulk down a runaway," in the movie The Intern. She is the founder and president of Women for the World, a non-profit organization based in Santa Monica, California. In 2012, Bishop created the Leilani Bishop Collection of fragrances.
    • Birthplace: USA, Hawaii
  • Manti Te'o
    Age: 34
    Manti Te'o is an American actor who appeared in "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist."
    • Birthplace: Laie, Hawaii, USA
  • Katherine Megan McArthur (born August 30, 1971) is an American oceanographer and a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut. She has served as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for both the space shuttle and space station. Megan McArthur has flown one space shuttle mission, STS-125. She is known as the last person to be hands on with the Hubble Space Telescope (although she was not actually "hands on" since she was using the robotic arm at the time). McArthur has served in a number of positions including working in the Shuttle Avionics Laboratory (SAIL). She is married to fellow astronaut Robert L. Behnken. Megan also features as herself in a space based episode of the kids programme, Blaze and the Monster Machines.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor and martial artist. He has won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is best known for his roles as Mani in Brotherhood of the Wolf, Toby Wong in Drive, Ling in Cradle 2 the Grave, the titular role in Crying Freeman and Zero in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Beginning in January 2005, Dacascos has played "The Chairman" on Food Network's Iron Chef America. The character was previously played by Takeshi Kaga in the original Japanese version. His other roles include Wo Fat on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0, Kung Lao in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Eric Draven in The Crow: Stairway to Heaven and Eubulon in Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. He also competed in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
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  • Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck
    Dec. at 36 (1914-1951)
    Raymond Martinez Fernandez (December 17, 1914 – March 8, 1951) and Martha Jule Beck (May 6, 1920 – March 8, 1951) were an American serial killer couple. They were convicted of one murder, are known to have committed two more, and were suspected of having up to 20 victims during a murderous spree between 1947 and 1949. After their arrest and trial for serial murder in 1949, they became known as "The Lonely Hearts Killers" for meeting their unsuspecting victims through lonely hearts ads. A number of films and television shows are based on this case.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii
  • Steve Case
    Age: 66
    Stephen McConnell Case (born August 21, 1958) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and businessman best known as the former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). Case joined AOL's predecessor company, Quantum Computer Services, as a marketing vice-president and became CEO of the company (renamed AOL) in 1991. Since his retirement as chairman of AOL Time Warner in 2003, he has gone on to invest in early and growth-stage startups through his Washington, D.C. based venture capital firm Revolution LLC. Case authored The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future which became a New York Times bestselling book in 2016. Case recently gave a fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC, on May 16, 2017, titled "Building Silicon Valley Outside of the Valley."He supports inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation through the Rise of the Rest road trips and the Case Foundation. Case also served as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) and was a member of Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. He also served on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). Case was chairman of UP Global, a non-profit organization focused on fostering strong entrepreneurial communities, recently acquired by Techstars.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Actress Maile Flanagan began her career performing improv and stand-up comedy in Minneapolis, becoming a part of a community that would indirectly lead to friendships with funnymen Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. After making her film debut in the farcical road comedy "Overnight Delivery" (1998), Flanagan appeared on Carell's "The Office" (in which she played the twin sister of cubicle worker Phyllis) and in several of Carrey's movies (including a particularly notable turn in "Yes Man"). Flanagan steadily crops up in such varied projects as "Phone Booth," "The Station Agent," and "500 Days of Summer," usually as a character short on screen-time but heavy on humor. A former Army brat whose nomadic childhood helped her develop an ear for accents, she is best known for her voice role as the ninja of the title in the popular action anime "Naruto." Flanagan also provides voices for such films and TV shows as the blockbuster "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and the computer-generated children's show "Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks," for which she won an Emmy.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Misti Traya

    Misti Traya

    Age: 43
    Misti Traya (born September 23, 1981 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American actress. She landed her first prime time television series regular role playing 15-year-old Allison Reeves in The WB's comedy Living with Fran. She is the daughter of actress Kiersten Warren.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • James Mitose
    Dec. at 64 (1916-1981)
    James Masayoshi Mitose (born Masayoshi Mitose, December 30, 1916 – March 26, 1981) was a Japanese American martial artist who brought the art of Kenpo to the United States starting in 1936. Many Kenpo teachers trace their lineage to him. Mitose was and remains a controversial figure in the history of Kenpo in America. He was convicted of murder and extortion in 1974 and given a life sentence. He died in prison in 1981 due to complications from diabetes.
    • Birthplace: Kailua, Hawaii
  • Helen Glover (born April 28, 1955, in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American talk radio host and former cast member on the reality television series Survivor: Thailand where she finished in fourth place.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Professor Tanaka
    Dec. at 70 (1930-2000)
    Charles J. Kalani Jr. (January 6, 1930 – August 22, 2000) was an American professional wrestler, professional boxer, college football player, soldier, actor, and martial artist who, in fighting rings, was also known as Professor Toru Tanaka, or simply Professor Tanaka.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Jared Makaio Murillo (born August 6, 1988) is an American professional dancer known for his works as a dancer in the Disney Channel movies, High School Musical, High School Musical 2 and for having a special cameo appearance in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. He is also in a boyband called V Factory.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Harold Sakata
    Dec. at 62 (1920-1982)
    Harold Sakata (ハロルド 坂田, Harorudo Sakata), born Toshiyuki Sakata (坂田 敏行, Sakata Toshiyuki, July 1, 1920 – July 29, 1982) was an American Olympic weightlifter, professional wrestler, and film actor. He won a silver medal for the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London in weightlifting. He was also an actor, best remembered for his role as the villain Oddjob in the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964). He was born in Holualoa, Hawaii and was of Japanese descent.
    • Birthplace: USA, Holualoa, Hawaii
  • Danny Barcelona
    Dec. at 77 (1929-2007)
    Danny Barcelona (July 23, 1929 – April 1, 2007) was an American jazz drummer best known for his years with Louis Armstrong's All-Stars. He was a Filipino-American born in Waipahu, a community of Honolulu, Hawaii. He was also frequently introduced to audiences by Louis Armstrong as The Little Filipino Boy. Armstrong usually followed up by calling himself the little Arabian boy.
    • Birthplace: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
  • Mike Hayner

    Mike Hayner

    Age: 60
    Michael Laauli "Mike" Hayner (born August 1, 1964) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1995 to 2000 under the ring name Prince Iaukea and later The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Iaukea or simply The Artist.Hayner made his WCW debut in 1996 and mainly competed as a fan favorite underdog. He was utilized as an enhancement talent during the early months of his career before winning the World Television Championship in 1997 and holding the title for nearly two months. Hayner then fell into the ranks due to some issues with management before being repackaged as "The Artist". He dominated the cruiserweight division during the first half of 2000, winning the company's Cruiserweight Championship twice before departing the company later that year.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Japanese-American parents, Keiko Agena has played a variety of Asian-American roles in films and on TV since the early 1990s. A chameleonic actress, Agena specializes in small character parts of widely varying nationalities and ages: when she began her best-known role as 16-year-old Korean-American high school student Lane Kim on the hit TV series "Gilmore Girls" in 2000, Agena was 27 years old. Best friend of series lead Rory Gilmore, Lane's difficult and rebellious relationship with her overbearing, strict mother became the primary counterpoint to the tight bond between Rory and her mother, Lorelai; by the show's end, Lane was one of the series' most beloved and important characters. During filming breaks on the series, Agena took small roles in a variety of indie films, most notably the Asian-American wedding comedy "The Perfect Party" and "Hair Show," a beauty parlor-set comedy-drama starring comedian and actress Mo'Nique. Agena also voices the character Yori on the popular Disney cartoon "Kim Possible."
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Kyla Ross
    Age: 28
    Kyla Briana Ross (born October 24, 1996) is an American college artistic gymnast. An elite gymnast from 2009 to 2016, she was a member of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team, dubbed the Fierce Five by the media, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she won a gold medal in the team competition. Ross was also a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. team at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Individually, she is the 2013 world all-around, uneven bars and balance beam silver medalist and the 2014 world all-around bronze medalist. In February 2016, she decided to retire from elite gymnastics and focus on college. Ross attends the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she has been on the university's NCAA gymnastics team since fall 2016 and named eleven times as an All-American, earning first team regular season honors on bars and beam in 2017, first team honors for the post season on bars, beam, and the all-around, first team regular season honors in 2018 on bars and the all-around and first team honors for the postseason on bars, beam, and the all-around and second team honors on floor exercise. On March 16, 2019, she became the 11th collegiate gymnast to achieve a "Gym Slam", having earned a perfect 10 score on all four apparatuses.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Daniel Keauhou Matsu "Danny" Yamashiro (born December 5, 1967) survived a 400-foot (122 meters) fall from the ridge of the Nuʻuanu Pali in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 18.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Konishiki Yasokichi

    Konishiki Yasokichi

    Age: 61
    Konishiki Yasokichi (小錦八十吉, Konishiki Yasokichi, born Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e; December 31, 1963) is a Hawaiian-born Japanese-Samoan former sumo wrestler. He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach ōzeki, the second-highest rank in the sport. During his career he won the top division championship on three occasions and came close to becoming the first foreign-born grand champion, or yokozuna, prompting a debate as to whether a foreigner could have the necessary cultural understanding to be acceptable in sumo's ultimate rank. At a peak weight of 287 kg (633 lb) he was also at the time the heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames "Meat Bomb" and "Dump Truck".
    • Birthplace: Oahu, USA, Hawaii
  • Jordan Shea Rashad Norwood (born September 29, 1986) is a Filipino American former professional football wide receiver and punt returner who played eight seasons in the NFL. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Penn State. Norwood was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. Norwood is the son of Kansas State co-defensive coordinator and former Penn State secondary coach Brian Norwood.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • King Curtis Iaukea
    Dec. at 73 (1937-2010)
    Curtis Piehau Iaukea III (September 15, 1937 – December 4, 2010) was an American professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional U.S. promotions, both as a single and in various tag team combinations, during the 1960s. He then competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where he won the WWF Tag Team Championship with Baron Scicluna. He was also later The Master of the Dungeon of Doom in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Under the name "Iau Kea" he appeared in the film The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze with Moe Howard declaring "That's not a man! That's a committee!".
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Pat Tanaka

    Pat Tanaka

    Age: 63
    Patrick Tanaka (born August 5, 1963) is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association as one half of Badd Company and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of The Orient Express. He is the son of Duke Keomuka. In his career, which has spanned more than three decades, Tanaka has worked for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Vic Steamboat

    Vic Steamboat

    Age: 64
    Victor Hersey Blood (born April 18, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ring name, Vic Steamboat. He is the younger brother of professional wrestler Ricky Steamboat, whom he took his ring name after. The majority of Steamboat's wrestling career was spent in the North Eastern United States working for promotions such as International Championship Wrestling / International World Class Championship Wrestling and Century Wrestling Alliance / NWA Cold Front/ NWA New England, holding championships on several occasions.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Francys Arsentiev

    Francys Arsentiev

    Dec. at 40 (1958-1998)
    Francys Arsentiev (January 18, 1958 – May 24, 1998) became the first woman from the United States to reach the summit of Mount Everest without the aid of bottled oxygen, on May 22, 1998. She then died during the descent.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Henry Gabriel Ginaca

    Henry Gabriel Ginaca

    Dec. at 42 (1876-1918)
    Henry Gabriel Ginaca (May 19, 1876 - October 19,1918) was an American engineer who invented, at the direction of Hawaii pineapple magnate James Dole, a machine that could peel and core pineapples automatically called the Ginaca machine.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii
  • Eric Ken Shinseki (; born November 28, 1942) is a retired United States Army general who served as the seventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2009–2014). His final United States Army post was as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army (1999–2003). Shinseki is a veteran of two tours of combat in the Vietnam War, in which he was awarded three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts. He was the first Asian-American four-star general, and the first Asian-American Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
    • Birthplace: Lihue, Hawaii, USA
  • Guy Takeo Kawasaki (born August 30, 1954) is an American marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing their Macintosh computer line in 1984. He popularized the word evangelist in marketing the Macintosh as an "Apple evangelist" and the concepts of evangelism marketing and technology evangelism/platform evangelism in general.From March 2015 until December 2016, Kawasaki sat on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, the non-profit operating entity of Wikipedia.Kawasaki has also written a number of books including The Macintosh Way (1990), The Art of the Start (2004), and Wise Guy (2019).
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Diane Mott Davidson (born (1949-03-22)March 22, 1949) is an American author of mystery novels that use the theme of food, an idea she got from Robert B. Parker. Several recipes are included in each book, and each novel title is a play on a food or drink word.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Jean Erdman
    Age: 108
    Jean Erdman (born February 20, 1916) is an American dancer and choreographer of modern dance as well as an avant-garde theater director.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Brian Keaulana is a surfer, actor and stunt performer.
    • Birthplace: Makaha, USA, Hawaii
  • Patsy Mink
    Dec. at 74 (1927-2002)
    Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink (December 6, 1927 – September 28, 2002) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Mink was a third generation Japanese American and member of the Democratic Party. She also was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Mink served in the U.S. House of Representatives for a total of 12 terms, representing Hawaii's at-large and second congressional districts. While in Congress she was noted for co-authoring the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act.Mink was the first non-white woman and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. She was also the first woman elected to Congress from the state of Hawaii, and became the first Asian-American to seek the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party in the 1972 election, where she stood in the Oregon primary as an anti-war candidate. From 1978-81, Mink served as the president of Americans for Democratic Action.
    • Birthplace: Maui, Hawaii, USA
  • Don Ho
    Dec. at 76 (1930-2007)
    Donald Tai Loy Ho (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was an American traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name.
    • Birthplace: Kakaako, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
  • Kevin McCollum (born March 1, 1962) is an American theatrical booking executive and producer of musical theater and plays, many on Broadway. During a producing career spanning over twenty-five years, McCollum has received three Tony Awards for Best Musical for In the Heights, Avenue Q, and Rent.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Daniel Kahikina Akaka (; September 11, 1924 – April 6, 2018) was an American educator and politician who was a United States Senator from Hawaii from 1990 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Akaka was the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry.Born in Honolulu, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He attended the University of Hawaii, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. Originally a high school teacher, Akaka went on to serve as a principal for six years. In 1969, the Department of Education hired him as a chief program planner. In the 1970s, he served in various governmental positions. Akaka was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1976 to represent Hawaii's Second Congressional District, and he served for 13 years. In 1990, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to succeed the deceased Spark Matsunaga, subsequently winning the special election to complete Matsunaga's term. He would later be re-elected to three full terms. In March 2011, he announced he would not run for re-election in 2012.After fellow U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye died on December 17, 2012, Akaka became the state's senior senator, and briefly remained so until he left office on January 3, 2013. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Mazie Hirono.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Dean Pitchford

    Dean Pitchford

    Age: 73
    Dean Pitchford (born July 29, 1951) is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. His work has earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, eight Grammy Awards, and two Tony Awards.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Michael Lynn Hoffman (born November 30, 1956) is an American film director.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii
  • Ed Parker
    Dec. at 59 (1931-1990)
    Edmund Kealoha Parker (March 19, 1931 – December 15, 1990) was an American martial artist, Senior Grandmaster, and founder of American Kenpo Karate.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director best known for having made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. IFC said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budget, high-concept genre films starring actors past their prime", adding that "others believe this a charitable description for Pyun, who has also been derided as the new Ed Wood." Though he frequently worked with science fiction and dystopic or post-apocalyptic themes, which often include cyborgs, Pyun stated in an interview that "I have really no interest in cyborgs. And I've never really had any interest in post-apocalyptic stories or settings. It just seemed that those situations presented a way for me to make movies with very little money, and to explore ideas that I really wanted to explore — even if they were [controversial]." Some of Pyun's better-known films include The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg, Captain America, and Nemesis.
    • Birthplace: USA, Hawaii
  • James Shigeta
    Dec. at 85 (1929-2014)
    James Saburo Shigeta (June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor, singer, and musician of Japanese descent. He was noted for his roles in The Crimson Kimono (1959), Walk Like a Dragon (1960), Flower Drum Song (1961), Bridge to the Sun (1961), Die Hard (1988), and Mulan (1998). In 1960, he won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, along with three other actors. In his early career, Shigeta often played romantic male lead roles, which were almost nonexistent for an actor of Asian descent during his time, making him a trailblazer in Asian American representation in media. The Goldsea Asian-American Daily magazine listed him as one of the "Most Inspiring Asian-Americans Of All Time".Before his Hollywood career he found success as a pop singer and performer abroad, especially in Japan and Australia.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Richard Loo
    Dec. at 80 (1903-1983)
    One of the most prolific character actors of the 20th century, Chinese-American Richard Loo had his most recognizable role as a Thai industrialist in the James Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun." Born in Hawaii to Chinese parents, Loo moved to California in his teens and became an actor after his career as a businessman was unsuccessful. In the '30s he mostly had uncredited bit roles as Chinese men, but when World War II began he would often be cast as a villainous Japanese soldier, as he was in the 1944 submarine drama "The Purple Heart." Other war movie roles include supporting parts in the spy drama "Tokyo Rose" and "Back to Bataan," starring John Wayne. In one of his rare sympathetic roles he played a Japanese-American soldier in Samuel Fuller's Korean War film "The Steel Helmet" in 1951. Although principally a character actor in small parts, he did occasionally have more substantial supporting roles. He played a general in the Clark Gable adventure "Soldier of Fortune," appeared with William Holden in the romance "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," and was Major Chin in the Oscar-nominated period drama "The Sand Pebbles" in 1966. Aside from his role in "The Man with the Golden Gun," he also made several appearances on the martial-arts-themed TV show "Kung Fu," where he played a Shaolin monk master.
    • Birthplace: Maui, Hawaii, USA
  • Herman Wedemeyer
    Dec. at 74 (1924-1999)
    Herman John Wedemeyer (May 20, 1924 – January 25, 1999) was an American actor, football player, and politician. He is best known for portraying Sergeant/Detective "Duke" Lukela on the crime drama Hawaii Five-O (1972–1980). He also appeared on the first episode of Hawaii Five-O as Lt. Balta of Honolulu Police Department.
    • Birthplace: Hilo, Hawaii, USA
  • Kealoha (translation: "The Love") is a common Hawaiian first name and surname and may refer to: James Kealoha (1908–1983), Hawaii politician and first Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii J. R. Kealoha (died 1877), Native Hawaiian veteran of the American Civil War Katherine Kealoha, former deputy prosecutor Pua Kealoha (1902–1989), American competition swimmer and Olympic champion Warren Kealoha (1903–1972), American competition swimmer and Olympic champion Kealoha Pilares (born 1988), American football player Kealoha (poet), (born Steven Wong), performance poet and Hawaii's first Poet Laureate
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • D. Howard Hitchcock

    D. Howard Hitchcock

    Dec. at 81 (1861-1943)
    David Howard Hitchcock (May 15, 1861 – January 1, 1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School, known for his depictions of Hawaii.
    • Birthplace: Hilo, Hawaii
  • George R. Carter

    George R. Carter

    Dec. at 66 (1866-1933)
    George Robert Carter (December 28, 1866 – February 11, 1933) was the second Territorial Governor of Hawaii, serving from 1903 to 1907.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Hiram Bingham II

    Hiram Bingham II

    Dec. at 77 (1831-1908)
    Hiram Bingham II (August 16, 1831 – October 25, 1908) was a Protestant Christian missionary to Hawaii and the Gilbert Islands.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Jason McCartney (born September 3, 1973 in Honolulu) is an American professional road racing cyclist for UCI Professional Continental Team Bissell. His 2004 Tour de Georgia stage win led to his being named the "North American rider of the year" by VeloNews Magazine. He represented the USA Olympic team in the road racing event in 2004 and 2008. Jason is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School. He lives in Coralville, Iowa.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Kimberly M. Hayashi (b. January 27, 1986 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States) is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years are from 2000–Present. Her many nicknames include: "Lil Kim", "Shorty", "Midget", "Sushi Roll", "Kim Woo", Lil Sushi, et al.. all references to her diminutive 4' 10", 128 lbs. stature. She is also known as "Krashin' Kim" for her penchant to crash in races. She crashed in her first lap in her very first professional race in 2002 colliding with another rider. Despite this she would become the National Bicycle League (NBL)'s five consecutive number one professional women's racer from 2002 to 2007, which caused her to pick up yet another descriptive nickname: "Tenacious K".
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Hiram Bingham III
    Dec. at 80 (1875-1956)
    Hiram Bingham III (November 19, 1875 – June 6, 1956) was an American academic, explorer and politician. He made public the existence of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in 1911 with the guidance of local indigenous farmers. Later, Bingham served as a member of the United States Senate for the state of Connecticut.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Gregory Poirier

    Gregory Poirier

    Age: 63
    Gregory Poirier is an American writer, producer, and director who is known for writing "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," "Knox Goes Away," and "Expend4bles."
    • Birthplace: Kula, Hawaii, USA
  • Charles Nainoa Thompson (born March 11, 1953 in Oahu, Hawaii) is a Native Hawaiian navigator and the president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. He is best known as the first Hawaiian to practice the ancient Polynesian art of navigation since the 14th century, having navigated two double-hulled canoes (the Hōkūle‘a and the Hawai‘iloa) from Hawaiʻi to other island nations in Polynesia without the aid of western instruments.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Kenneth E. Gaspar (born February 3, 1953), more commonly known as Boom Gaspar, is an American musician who has performed with the American rock band and rock and roll hall of fame inductee Pearl Jam as a piano/keyboard/organ player since 2002.
    • Birthplace: USA, Hawaii, Waimanalo
  • Spark Matsunaga
    Dec. at 73 (1916-1990)
    Spark Masayuki Matsunaga (October 8, 1916 – April 15, 1990) was an American politician who served as United States Senator for Hawaii from 1977 until his death in 1990. A member of the Democratic Party, Matsunaga introduced legislation in the Senate that led to the creation of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and the United States Institute of Peace.
    • Birthplace: Kukuiula, Hawaii, USA
  • Kaʻahumanu

    Kaʻahumanu

    Dec. at 64 (1768-1832)
    Kaʻahumanu (March 17, 1768 – June 5, 1832) ("the feathered mantle") was queen consort and acted as regent of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as Kuhina Nui. She was the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I and also the most politically powerful, and continued to wield considerable power as co-ruler in the kingdom during reigns of his first two successors.
    • Birthplace: Hana, Hawaii
  • Cedric Ceballos (August 2, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. As a small forward, he played mostly for the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, later finishing his National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat.
    • Birthplace: Maui, Hawaii, USA
  • Jordan K. Hubbard (born April 8, 1963) is an open source software developer, authoring software such as the Ardent Window Manager and various other open source tools and libraries before co-founding the FreeBSD project with Nate Williams and Rodney W. Grimes in 1993, for which he contributed the initial FreeBSD Ports collection, package management system and sysinstall. In July 2001 Hubbard joined Apple Computer in the role of manager of the BSD technology group. In 2005, his title was "Director of UNIX Technology" and in October 2007, Hubbard was promoted to "Director of Engineering of Unix Technologies" at Apple where he remained until June 2013.On July 15, 2013, he became CTO of iXsystems where he also led the FreeNAS open source project.On March 24, 2017, he announced his plan to depart from iXsystems and that he would be joining TwoPoreGuys, a Biotechnology company, as VP of Engineering.. As of January 2019, his LinkedIn profile notes that he is part of the Engineering Leadership team at Uber [1].
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Elizabeth Kahanu Kalanianaʻole

    Elizabeth Kahanu Kalanianaʻole

    Dec. at 52 (1879-1932)
    Elizabeth Kahanu Kaʻauwai Kalanianaʻole Woods (March 8, 1879 – February 20, 1932) was the wife of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, Hawaii's second delegate to Congress.
    • Birthplace: Makawao, Hawaii
  • James Kānehoa

    James Kānehoa

    Dec. at 54 (1797-1851)
    James Young Kānehoa (1797–1851) was a member of the court of King Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III during the Kingdom of Hawaii. Sometimes he is confused with his half-brother John Kalaipaihala Young II known as Keoni Ana.
    • Birthplace: Kawaihae, Hawaii, Hawaii, USA
  • Kamehameha IV

    Kamehameha IV

    Dec. at 29 (1834-1863)
    Kamehameha IV, born Alexander ʻIolani Liholiho (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863) reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title: Ke Aliʻi o ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻAina of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863. His full Hawaiian name was Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Adriano Directo Emperado

    Adriano Directo Emperado

    Dec. at 82 (1926-2009)
    Adriano Directo Emperado (June 15, 1926 – April 4, 2009) was one of five martial artists who developed the kajukenbo self-defense system.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii
  • Michael Tucker

    Michael Tucker

    Age: 59
    Michael Tucker is an American documentary film director, best known for his recent documentary The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair. He also directed a documentary in Iraq during the 2003 Iraqi War entitled Gunner Palace. He was born in Hawaii.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Elena Hight is a professional snowboarder.
    • Birthplace: Kauai, Hawaii, USA
  • Alfred Apaka
    Dec. at 40 (1919-1960)
    Alfred Aholo Apaka, Jr. (March 19, 1919 – January 30, 1960) was a Hawaiian singer whose romantic baritone voice was closely identified with Hawaii between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of Hapa haole music, which melded Hawaiian music with traditional pop music arrangements and English lyrics to convey Polynesian imagery and themes.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Heidi Swedberg (born March 3, 1966) is an American actress and musician, best known for her role as Susan Ross, the fiancée of George Costanza, on the television sitcom Seinfeld.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Norm Chow
    Age: 78
    Norman Yew Heen Chow (born May 3, 1946) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a position he assumed in December 2011 until November 1, 2015. Chow previously held the offensive coordinator position for the Utah Utes, UCLA Bruins, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC Trojans, NC State Wolfpack, and BYU Cougars.Chow won the 2002 Broyles Award as the nation's top collegiate assistant coach. He also was named the 2002 NCAA Division I-A Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Monthly and was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 1999 by the American Football Foundation. He is well known for developing quarterbacks. During his time as an assistant football coach, Chow has helped coach 8 of the top 14 career passing-efficiency leaders and 13 quarterbacks who rank among the top 30 in NCAA history for single-season passing yardage. The list of players he coached includes Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and Philip Rivers, as well as Heisman Trophy winners Ty Detmer, Carson Palmer, and Matt Leinart.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • David Wolstencroft

    David Wolstencroft

    Age: 55
    David Wolstencroft (born 16 July 1969), is an American-born British screenwriter and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama Spooks and its spin-off series, Spooks: Code 9.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Teila Tuli
    Age: 55
    Teila Tuli, (born 14 June 1969) is a Native Hawaiian actor and former sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is from Laie, Hawaii and is of Samoan and Native Hawaiian descent. He is commonly known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on Hawaii Five-0.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Kevin S. Tenney

    Kevin S. Tenney

    Age: 69
    Kevin S. Tenney (born October 16, 1955) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter, best known for directing horror movies such as Witchboard (1986) and Night of the Demons (1988).
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Suzanne Burns

    Suzanne Burns

    Age: 51
    Suzanne Burns is an author and poet.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole

    Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole

    Dec. at 50 (1871-1922)
    Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (March 26, 1871 – January 7, 1922) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until it was overthrown by a coalition of American and European businessmen in 1893. He later went on to become a representative in the Territory of Hawaii as delegate to the United States Congress, and as such is the only person ever elected to that body who had been born into royalty.
    • Birthplace: Koloa, Hawaii, USA
  • Lorrin A. Thurston

    Lorrin A. Thurston

    Dec. at 72 (1858-1931)
    Lorrin Andrews Thurston (July 31, 1858 – May 11, 1931) was an American lawyer, politician, and businessman born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. The grandson of two of the first Christian missionaries to Hawaii, Thurston played a prominent role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliʻuokalani with the Republic of Hawaii, dominated by American interests. He published the Pacific Commercial Advertiser (a forerunner of the present-day Honolulu Star-Advertiser), and owned other enterprises. From 1906 to 1916 he and friends lobbied with national politicians to create a National Park to preserve the Hawaiian Volcanoes.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Benny Peter Agbayani, Jr. (; born December 28, 1971) is an American retired professional baseball player. He attended Saint Louis School, Hawaii Pacific University and the Oregon Institute of Technology. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He currently lives on Long Island, NY in North Amityville.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Queen Kapiolani

    Queen Kapiolani

    Dec. at 64 (1834-1899)
    Kapiʻolani (December 31, 1834 – June 24, 1899) was the queen and consort of Mōʻī (king) David Kalākaua of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, reigning from 1874 to 1891 until his death when she became known as the Dowager Queen Kapiʻolani. Deeply interested in the health and welfare of the Native Hawaiian people, Kapiʻolani established the Kapiʻolani Home for Girls, for the education of the daughters of resident of the leprosy settlement at Kalaupapa, and the Kapiʻolani Maternity Home, where Hawaiian mothers and newborns could receive care.
    • Birthplace: Hilo, Hawaii
  • Keoni Waxman

    Keoni Waxman

    Age: 56
    Keoni Waxman is Film and Television Producer, Screenwriter, Film and Television Director.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa

    Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa

    Dec. at 58 (1903-1961)
    Abigail Helen Kapiʻolani Kawānanakoa (1903–1961) was a member of the House of Kawānanakoa and the eldest daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Tamari Miyashiro

    Tamari Miyashiro

    Age: 37
    Tamari Miyashiro is an American indoor volleyball player. As a libero, she was a two-time National Defensive Player of the Year at the University of Washington and has played on the United States women's national volleyball team since 2010.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • William Luther Moehonua

    William Luther Moehonua

    Dec. at 54 (1824-1878)
    William Luther Kealiʻi Moehonua (1824–1878) was a native Hawaiian noble and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
    • Birthplace: Mokuleia, Hawaii, USA
  • Victoria Kamāmalu
    Dec. at 27 (1838-1866)
    Victoria Kamāmalu Kaʻahumanu IV (November 1, 1838 – May 29, 1866) was Kuhina Nui of Hawaii and its crown princess. Named Wikolia Kamehamalu Keawenui Kaʻahumanu-a-Kekūanaōʻa and also named Kalehelani Kiheahealani, she was mainly referred to as Victoria Kamāmalu or Kaʻahumanu IV, when addressing her as the Kuhina Nui.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Maxim Knight is an American adolescent actor who started acting at the age of eight. He is probably most known for appearing as Matt Mason in the TNT science fiction series Falling Skies.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Mason Jennings (born March 19, 1975 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American folk-pop singer-songwriter. He is well known for his songwriting and distinctive voice.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Lunalilo

    Lunalilo

    Dec. at 39 (1835-1874)
    Lunalilo, born William Charles Lunalilo (January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874), was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874. Due to his popularity and status as Hawaii's first elected monarch, he became known as "The People's King".
    • Birthplace: ʻIolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Derek Ho
    Age: 60
    Derek Ho (born September 26, 1964) is a Chinese American surfer who won the world surfing championship in 1993. Ho was born in Kailua, Hawaii. He began surfing at the age of three, and won the world title at age 29. Derek Ho is the brother of Michael Ho, another champion surfer, and the second cousin of Don Ho, the Hawaiian singer. He is the uncle of professional surfers Mason Ho and Coco Ho.
    • Birthplace: USA, Hawaii, Kailua
  • Bobo Olson
    Dec. at 73 (1928-2002)
    Carl Olson (July 11, 1928 – January 16, 2002) was an American boxer. He was the World Middleweight champion between October 1953 and December 1955, the longest reign of any champion in that division during the 1950s. His nickname, Bobo, was based on his younger sister's mispronunciation of "brother".
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Kim Campbell

    Kim Campbell

    Age: 49
    Colonel Kim Nichole Reed-Campbell (born June 6, 1975 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a United States Air Force officer and Senior Pilot in the U.S. Air Force. She was decorated for piloting her A-10 Thunderbolt II back to base in southern Iraq after taking heavy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) damage in aerial combat over Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. After her tour of duty in Iraq ended, Campbell gave lectures throughout the United States about her experience, including one at the National Air and Space Museum. Kim Campbell was promoted to the rank of Major in the autumn of 2006. Colonel Campbell was Commander, 612th Theater Operations Group, Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, AZ from July 2016- June 2018. She is currently serving at the US Air Force Academy as Faculty Chair, Airpower Innovation & Integration, Department of Military and Strategic Studies. She is married to another A-10 pilot, Colonel Scott Campbell, whom she met at the Air Force Academy.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Albert P. Clark
    Dec. at 96 (1913-2010)
    Lieutenant General Albert Patton Clark (August 27, 1913 – March 8, 2010) was the sixth superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
    • Birthplace: Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
  • Charles William Dickey

    Charles William Dickey

    Dec. at 70 (1871-1942)
    Charles William “C.W.” Dickey was an American architect famous for developing a distinctive style of Hawaiian architecture. He was known not only for designing some of the most famous buildings in Hawaiʻi—such as the Alexander & Baldwin Building, Halekulani Hotel, Kamehameha Schools campus buildings—but also for influencing a cadre of notable successors, including Hart Wood, Cyril Lemmon, Douglas Freeth, Roy Kelley, and Vladimir Ossipoff.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii
  • James Arthur Ray (born November 22, 1957) is a leadership and performance advisor, life coach, and author who was found directly responsible for the deaths of three people and convicted of felony negligent homicide. He is the author of Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, which was a New York Times bestseller.Ray taught Stephen Covey motivational seminars while employed at AT&T and claimed he later worked two years for the Covey foundation; however the company has no record of him as an employee or contractor. In 2006 he appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and was one of several narrators in the film The Secret. He also appeared on the Today Show and Oprah.In 2011 James Arthur Ray was convicted of three counts of negligent homicide, after his February 3, 2010 arrest for the deaths of three participants in one of his New Age retreats. He served two years in Arizona state prison and was released under supervision on July 12, 2013. As of 2016 Ray was attempting to relaunch his career as a motivational speaker.
    • Birthplace: USA, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Redmond Burke

    Redmond Burke

    Age: 66
    Redmond P. Burke (born 4 November 1958) is a congenital heart surgeon, innovator, software developer, author, inventor, and founder of The Congenital Heart Institute at Miami Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida. He starred in the ABC pilot television show The Miracle Workers. Burke has been recognized as one of the world's most innovative surgeons, and for his use of information technology to improve surgical outcomes.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Jason Gesser

    Jason Gesser

    Age: 45
    Jason John Gesser (born May 31, 1979) is an American college football former coach, former player, and former assistant athletic director at Washington State University. He was previously the interim head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and recruiting coordinator for the Idaho Vandals of the WAC. He played quarterback for Washington State Cougars of the Pac-10 under head coach Mike Price, and played in the 2003 Rose Bowl. As a professional, Gesser played for the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League, the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, and the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was originally hired at Idaho as running backs coach in June 2011. Gesser is the grandson of Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame member Joseph "Red" Dunn.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Kaui Hart Hemmings

    Kaui Hart Hemmings

    Kaui Hart Hemmings is an actress, writer, and screenwriter.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii
  • Kamehameha I

    Kamehameha I

    Dec. at 63 (1756-1819)
    Kamehameha I (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kəmehəˈmɛhə]; c. 1758? – May 8 or 14, 1819 ), also known as Kamehameha the Great (full Hawaiian name: Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea), was the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A statue of him was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C. by the state of Hawaii as one of two statues it is entitled to give.
    • Birthplace: Kohala Historical Sites State Monument, Hawaii
  • David Kawānanakoa

    David Kawānanakoa

    Dec. at 40 (1868-1908)
    David Laʻamea Kahalepouli Kinoiki Kawānanakoa (February 19, 1868 – June 2, 1908) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and founder of the House of Kawānanakoa. He was in the line of succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi around the time of the kingdom's overthrow. Kawānanakoa translates as "fearless prophecy" in Hawaiian.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Charley Brewer

    Charley Brewer

    Dec. at 85 (1873-1958)
    Charley Brewer (March 8, 1873 – June 13, 1958) was an American football player. Brewer attended Harvard University, where he played for the Harvard Crimson football team. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American three times at the fullback position – in 1892, 1893, 1895, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Brian Ching (born May 24, 1978) an American retired professional soccer player who played for twelve years in Major League Soccer and represented the U.S. national team for eight years. Ching's professional career began when he was the 16th pick overall by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft, making him the first Gonzaga player and the first player from his native Hawaii selected in the MLS draft. After winning the U.S. Open Cup with Los Angeles, Ching was released from the team and played with the second division Seattle Sounders. He returned to first division soccer when the San Jose Earthquakes acquired him in the 2003 MLS Supplemental Draft. He won an MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield with the Earthquakes, collected the MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award, the MLS Golden Boot, and was named to the MLS Best XI. In 2006, Ching relocated to Houston when the Earthquakes team became the Houston Dynamo. He led the team to back-to-back MLS Cup Championships in 2006 and 2007 and four MLS finals overall. A six-time MLS All-Star, Ching retired from professional soccer in 2013 as Houston Dynamo's all-time leading scorer. Ching made his international debut May 26, 2003, becoming the first Hawaiian-born player to represent the United States. He became the first Hawaiian to be named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, although he did not see any playing time. His only international silverware is the 2007 Gold Cup. Off the field, Ching is a pillar in the Houston community where he is partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for underprivileged families in the Houston area through fundraising efforts under his program "The House that Ching Built".
    • Birthplace: USA, Haleiwa, Hawaii
  • Quentin Kawānanakoa

    Quentin Kawānanakoa

    Age: 63
    Quentin Kūhiō Kawānanakoa (born September 28, 1961), is a Republican politician of the state of Hawaii. Kawānanakoa is an organizer of the Republican Party of Hawaii. He is part of the House of Kawānanakoa. He is sometimes referred to as a prince, and an heir to the Hawaiian monarchy although he himself admits there is no official recognition and such titles are merely honorific. He is also an heir to the James Campbell estate.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Anjani Thomas (born July 10, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist, best known for her work with singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, as well as Carl Anderson, Frank Gambale, and Stanley Clarke. She became a solo artist in 2000.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Sidney S. Liufau is an actor, stunt performer, athlete and a martial artist.
    • Birthplace: USA, Kahuku, Hawaii
  • Kamāmalu

    Kamāmalu

    Dec. at 22 (1802-1824)
    Kamāmalu Kalani-Kuaʻana-o-Kamehamalu-Kekūāiwa-o-kalani-Kealiʻi-Hoʻopili-a-Walu (c. 1802–1824) was Queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as the wife of King Kamehameha II. Kamāmalu was short for Kamehamalu or Kamehamehamalu meaning "the Shade of the Lonely One", honoring her father, "the Lonely One". She is not to be confused with her niece, Princess Victoria Kamāmalu.
    • Birthplace: Kawaihae, Hawaii, Hawaii
  • Carolyn Lei-Lanilau

    Carolyn Lei-Lanilau

    Age: 79
    Carolyn Leilani Yu Zhen Lau (aka Carolyn Lau) (born 1946 Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American poet.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Angela Perez Baraquio Grey (born June 1, 1976), known professionally by her birth name of Angela Perez Baraquio, is an American educator. She was crowned Miss America 2001 on October 14, 2000 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, becoming the first Asian American, first Filipino American, and first teacher ever to win the pageant. A politically conservative, pro-life Catholic, Baraquio has been publicly active in supporting various Republican politicians and in speaking out against abortion. She is also an educator whose platform as Miss America was character education. Since 2004, Baraquio has co-hosted the Hawaiian television show Living Local with the Baraquios.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Joseph Nāwahī

    Joseph Nāwahī

    Dec. at 54 (1842-1896)
    Joseph Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahī (January 13, 1842 – September 14, 1896), also known by his full Hawaiian name Iosepa Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, was a Native Hawaiian nationalist leader, legislator, lawyer, newspaper publisher, and painter. Through his long political service during the monarchy and the important roles he played in the resistance and opposition to its overthrow, Nāwahī is regarded as an influential Hawaiian patriot. Born on the island of Hawaii, Nāwahī received his formal education in the Protestant missionary schools of the islands. He began his career as a teacher at the Hilo Boarding School and later became a self-taught lawyer. He was also an accomplished artist, and was one of the few indigenous Hawaiian painters to work in Western styles during the 19th century. Entering the realm of politics in 1872 as a member of the House of Representatives, he represented his home districts of Puna and later Hilo in the Legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii for two decades. Serving in the final legislative assembly 1892–1893, he became a political leader for the Liberal faction in the government. He established himself as a leader in the opposition to the unpopular Bayonet Constitution of 1887 and as a defender of the idea of Hawaiian nationhood and self-rule. Alongside William Pūnohu White, he was a principal author of the proposed 1893 Constitution with Queen Liliʻuokalani. They were decorated Knight Commanders of the Royal Order of Kalākaua for their service and contribution to the monarchy. Three days after an attempted promulgation of the constitution, the queen was deposed in a coup during the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on January 17, 1893. During the Provisional Government of Hawaii and the Republic of Hawaii that followed it, he remained loyal to the fallen monarchy. He was elected as president of the Hui Aloha ʻĀina (Hawaiian Patriotic League), a patriotic organization established after the overthrow to oppose annexation. He and his wife Emma Nāwahī (a political leader in her own right) established the anti-annexation newspaper Ke Aloha Aina. The paper ran from 1895 until 1920.In December 1894, Nāwahī was arrested and imprisoned by the Republic on charges of treason. He was acquitted and released, but died, on September 14, 1896, from tuberculosis contracted during his imprisonment. His funeral services in Honolulu and Hilo were attended by supporters and friends; even his former enemies and the government of the Republic acknowledged his important contributions as a Hawaiian patriot.
    • Birthplace: Kaimū, Hawaii, Hawaii, USA
  • Kristina Elizabeth Anapau Roper (born October 30, 1979), better known as Kristina Anapau, is an American actress and writer. She is known for her roles as Maurella on the HBO series True Blood and as Galina in the 2010 film Black Swan.
    • Birthplace: Hawaii, USA
  • Kaleo Wassman (born January 6, 1978) is an American musician who serves as the lead singer and guitarist of reggae, dub bands Pepper and Sabotage Soundsystem.
    • Birthplace: Kailua, Hawaii
  • Brian Richard Gaskill (born January 22, 1970 in Honolulu, Hawaii, raised in Neptune Township, New Jersey) is an American actor.
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Angelique Cabral

    Angelique Cabral

    Age: 46
    Angelique Cabral started her career as a daytime soap opera regular before becoming a scene-stealer in several under-rated sitcoms including "Happy Endings" (ABC 2011-13), "Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23" (ABC 2012-13) and most notably "Enlisted" (Fox, 2014). Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1979, Cabral majored in Musical Theater and French at Indiana University before moving to New York to pursue her acting ambitions, subsequently landing minor recurring roles as Mrs Mendez in "Guiding Light" (CBS 1952-2009), Nurse Amanda in "All My Children" (ABC 1970-2011) and waitress Maria on "One Life To Live" (ABC 1968-2012). Cabral then made her film debut in the low-budget tragi-comedy "Together" (2006), starred in various off-Broadway productions and showed up as actress Wendy in an episode of the rebooted "Melrose Place" (The CW 2009-2010) before displaying her comic skills for the first time in short-lived thirty-something sitcom "Mad Love" (CBS 2011). While following supporting roles as Emily Deschanel's bride-to-be Angela Reyes in domestic drama "The Perfect Family" (2011) and Justin Timberlake's assistant Pam Niborski in anti-rom-com "Friends With Benefits" (2011), she appeared in Ashton Kutcher's first episode of "Two and a Half Men" (CBS 2003-15) and Brad's (Damon Wayans Jr.) "work wife" Vanessa in the razor-sharp "Happy Endings" (ABC, 2011-13). After appearing as Doctor Tara Valdez in crime drama "The Glades" (A&E Network 2010-13), Cabral continued to make her mark on the sitcom world, popping up in the ultra-meta "Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23" (ABC, 2012-13) as June's arch-nemesis Fox Paris. Cabral then suffered a setback when her role in Marc Cherry's melodrama "Devious Maids" (Lifetime 2013-16) fell through, but she soon recovered to land her biggest role, co-starring as hard-as-nails Staff Sergeant Jill Perez in the military comedy "Enlisted" (Fox, 2014).
    • Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  • Matt Blair
    Age: 74
    Matt Blair (born September 20, 1950) was an American football player who was an outside linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for all 12 seasons of his career from 1974 to 1985.
    • Birthplace: Hilo, Hawaii
  • Keali'i Reichel

    Keali'i Reichel

    Age: 64
    Carleton Lewis Kealiʻinaniaimokuokalani Reichel popularly known as Kealiʻi Reichel, is a popular and bestselling singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, chanter, scholar, teacher, and personality from Hawaiʻi. He has spent his life educating the world about Hawaiian culture through music and dance. Kealiʻi Reichel was born and raised on the island of Maui. Reichel grew up in the town of Lahaina where he attended Lahainaluna High School, however he spent weekends and summers with his maternal grandmother in the plantation town of Pāʻia. At the age of 24, Reichel was convicted of theft, and was sentenced to community service, which involved a study of Hawaiian culture. This marked a turning point in his life, as he decided to devote the rest of his life to the study and promotion of Hawaiian culture. Reichel was one of the founding directors for Punana Leo O Maui, a Hawaiian language immersion pre-school. He has taught Hawaiian culture and language at the University of Hawaiʻi's, Maui Community College, and he was the Cultural Resource Specialist and curator at the Bailey House Museum in Wailuku.
    • Birthplace: Maui, Hawaii
  • Keoni Ana

    Keoni Ana

    Dec. at 47 (1810-1857)
    Keoni Ana, full name John Kalaipaihala Young II (March 12, 1810 – July 18, 1857), was a politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, serving as Kuhina Nui of the Hawaiian Islands and Minister of Interior.
    • Birthplace: Kawaihae, Hawaii, Hawaii, USA
  • Kwan Hi Lim
    Dec. at 86 (1922-2008)
    Kwan Hi Lim (Hangul:임관희; July 11, 1922 – December 22, 2008) was a Korean-American character actor, best known for his role as Lt. Tanaka in the television series Magnum, P.I. The reboot of the same tv series is played by Sung Kang
    • Birthplace: Maui, USA, Hawaii