Harry Endo (July 20, 1922 – January 9, 2009) was an American actor best known for his role playing Che Fong, a forensic scientist on the television series '' Hawaii Five-O''. Endo was born in Colorado, but spent most of his life living in Hawaii. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1941 and served as a radio operator with an infantry unit in Europe.Staff
"''Hawaii Five-0'' cast member dies at 87 in NYC"
''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'', January 10, 2009. Accessed January 11, 2009. He had been working for Territorial Savings Bank in Hawaii and was being filmed in a commercial for his employer when he was approached about an acting role playing "Che Fong" as one of the original cast members in the television series '' Hawaii Five-O''. The series starred Jack Lord and James MacArthur as detectives for a fictional Hawaii state police department and ran from 1968 until 1980, making it the longest running crime show on American television until it was surpassed by ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' in 2003. Actor Doug Mossman, who played the role of detective Frank Kamana on the show, described Endo's role in the program as portraying "the all-encompassing forensic genius, who was supposed to know everything about everything".Nakaso, Dan
"'Hawaii 5-0' actor Harry Endo dies of stroke: On the hit TV show, he played Che Fong, 'the forensic genius'"
'' The Honolulu Advertiser'', January 12, 2009. Accessed January 12, 2009. Fong appeared in 111 episodes of the crime drama from 1968 until 1977, and reprised his role in a 1997-hour-long made-for-television movie.Harry Endo
Internet Movie Database. Accessed January 11, 2009. After the series ended, he played some minor roles, including two episodes of '' Magnum, P.I.'' and appeared in single episodes of both '' Jake and the Fatman'' and ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', before retiring from acting in the late 1980s. Endo died at age 86 on January 9, 2009, of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at the Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York City. He was survived by his wife Myrtle, to whom he had been married for more than 60 years, and two children. Myrtle Endo died in March, 2009 in Brooklyn, New York. She was 85 years old.

Partial filmography

*'' Hawaii Five-O'' (1969-1977) - Che Fong / Kaspar *''Hawaii Five-0'' (1997) - Che Fong (final film role)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endo, Harry American male television actors Male actors from Colorado Male actors from Hawaii United States Army personnel of World War II 1922 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American male actors