Actor

Mokihana Kiaaina

Born 1931 · Hawaii, USA

Merllyn Mokihana Kiaaina was a Hawaiian chanteuse actress. She sold fish at her mother's Chinatown fish stall, before, in the early '60s, a Hollywood director Mervyn LeRoy signed her to a role in the Frank Sinatra-Spencer Tracy movie, "The Devil at Four O'Clock", that opened doors for her. It was her portrayal of Bloody Mary in the Broadway musical "South Pacific" that became her signature. For years, she was the only Polynesian trouper (she was part Hawaiian) to play that role. Her flair for comedy and her powerful voice, coupled with her size, enabled her to take on Bloody Mary in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in which she delivered two show-stopping tunes, "Bali Hai" and "Happy Talk". She starred in "South Pacific" productions from Las Vegas to Atlantic City and cities in between, parlaying that fame to the role of Madam Fong in "Flower Drum Song." A career in TV and films followed, including roles on such shows as "Highway to Heaven", "Island Sons", "Aloha Paradise", "Castaways on Gilligan's Island" and "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.". In Hollywood circles, she was known as a gourmet chef who prepared special meals for the film colony.