Taylor Wily, who played a shrimp truck vendor and a police informant on the television reboot of “Hawaii Five-0,” and who earlier was an acclaimed professional sumo wrestler, died on Thursday. He was 56.
Paul Almond, a legal representative for Mr. Wily, confirmed his death. A location and cause of death were not immediately available.
Mr. Wily starred as Kamekona in more than 170 episodes of “Hawaii Five-0,” a reimagining, from 2010-2020, of the 1970s crime drama that followed the escapades of state police officers in Hawaii. His character became a fan favorite, morphing into the show’s resident entrepreneur, running a shaved-ice business and a helicopter tour company alongside his shrimp venture.
“‘Hawaii Five-0’ could become ‘Kamekona Five-0,’” Masi Oka, who played Dr. Max Bergman on the later series, said in a 2012 interview with CBS.
The series followed a fictional state police unit that seemed to routinely crave shrimp. Mr. Wily’s character was a warm and comedic presence that resonated with viewers as well as with residents in Hawaii.
Peter Lenkov, a producer of the series, said on social media that he had been drawn to Mr. Wily from his first audition, and that he had been impressed enough to make his character a recurring one.
In the role of Kemo, a hotel staff member in Hawaii in the 2008 film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” Mr. Wily provided support to Jason Segel’s character, a jilted boyfriend who encounters his ex-girlfriend vacationing with her new paramour in the same spot. Mr. Wily’s quiet humor brought levity to situations that involved heartbreak and loss.
Taylor Tuli Wily was born on June 14, 1968, in Honolulu. Although he was known for his tender demeanor, he could be an intimidating physical presence, standing over six feet tall and weighing at times more than 400 pounds.
In 1987, a friend introduced him to sumo wrestling, on the promise that the friend wouldn’t tell Mr. Wily’s mother. Soon after, he competed in a tournament.
“I won a case of Spam and some rice, and that was it, I was into sumo,” Mr. Wily said in a 2016 interview with Sherdog, a YouTube channel dedicated to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
In the same interview, Mr. Wily also discussed why he was billed as Teila Tuli for his U.F.C. match. “They didn’t want me to come with such an English name,” he said. “So I took Taylor and spelled it the way we spell it here in Polynesia, Teila, and used my middle name, Tuli, and got rid of Wily.”
He added, smiling, that he hoped the admission wouldn’t send bill collectors his way.
For two years, he competed in Japan as a sumo wrestler under the name Takamishu. He won several championships, eventually reaching the makushita division, the third-highest in the league, and he became the first wrestler born outside Japan to win a title match.
He left the sport in 1989, citing knee injuries, and pivoted to mixed martial arts. Mr. Wily fought in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, in 1993, where he lost by a technical knockout.
He first appeared on television in a 1982 episode of “Magnum, P.I.,” and he made several guest appearances on shows that included “Marker” and “North Shore.”
His survivors include his wife, Halona Wily, and two children.
In a 2014 interview with Hawaii News Now, Mr. Wily discussed his appreciation for his role in “Hawaii Five-0,” and what the experience meant to him.
“It’s the best job in the world — you get to play Hollywood but be right here in Hawaii,” he said. “Home.”
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