From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Al Harrington
Born	December 12, 1935 (1935-12-12) (age 72) Pago Pago, American Samoa
Occupation	Actor

Alvin Harrington (b. December 12, 1935) was born Tausau Ta'a in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He is best known as his role as "Det. Ben Kokua" on the CBS television series Hawaii Five-O.

Harrington was raised by his maternal grandmother in the village of Mapusaga in Pago Pago, American Samoa, until he was three. His mother, Lela Suapaia, sent for him to join her while she was working as a nurse in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. She later married Roy Milburn Harrington a native of Iron Mountain, Michigan, who had come to Honolulu as a serviceman with the US Army. The elder Harrington later became a member of the Honolulu Police Department. However, it was not until Al Harrington's sophomore year in high school did he take his stepfather's last name.

He excelled at theater and American football at Punahou School, where he was a member of the class of 1954. He participated in several productions at the school. At the same time Harrington was wowing people on the football field. He led his team to the league championships at Honolulu Stadium and was the first high school football All-American to come out of Hawai‘i.

Harrington went on to play for Stanford University, where he aspired to become a drama major. Unfortunately, there was some opposition to minority drama majors there. When he graduated in 1958 with a B.A. in history, the Baltimore Colts were interested in him. However, they did not offer the kind of money American professional football teams now offer, so he returned to Honolulu.

Harrington performed for many years as an entertainer in Waikiki, earning the well-known moniker of "The South Pacific Man". His popularity in the 70's and 80's made him a household name in Hawaii. He had a long running show at the Hilton in Waikiki, and along with other entertainers such as Don Ho, helped define the entertainment industry in Hawaii, known to tourists and dignitaries alike from around the world.

Al's son's Alema and Tau Harrington both attended Punahou School and later played football at Brigham Young University.

• Al Harrington at the Internet Movie Database
• Al Harrington at TV.com
• 1996 feature in Honolulu Star-Bulletin
• 1990 story in Hawaii magazine