Dennis Chun is an American actor from the state of Hawaii. Currently, he should be best-known to most people because of his role as Sgt. Duke Lukela on Hawaii Five-0, to which he possesses a special connection. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Dennis Chun :
1. Born in Hawaii
Chun was born in the state of Hawaii. It is interesting to note that said state is a very diverse one, as shown by how it is the one state with an Asian-American plurality. Besides that, about a tenth of Hawaii’s population is either Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, about a quarter of Hawaii’s population is Caucasian, and about a fortieth of Hawaii’s population is black. This diversity has existed in the state for some time, so it should come as no surprise to learn that more than a fifth of its population is estimated to be either biracial or even more mixed.
2. Has Some Chinese Heritage
It seems safe to say that Chun has some Chinese heritage, seeing as how Chun is a Chinese name. To be exact, Chun is a Cantonese romanization of the same name as the Mandarin Chen, which would fit because Cantonese speakers made up a huge proportion of the earliest Chinese immigrants to the United States. Supposedly, the name comes from the people of the State of Chen, who take up the name of their former country en masse when it was swallowed up by the State of Chu.
3. Son of Kam Fong Chun
Chun is the son of Kam Fong Chun. For those who are unfamiliar, the older Chun was a Honolulu police officer who went on to become an actor as well. In particular, he is remembered for his role as Det. Chin Ho Kelly on the first version of Hawaii Five-0, though it should be mentioned that he has played other roles in other projects as well.
4. Child of a Second Marriage
Kam Fong Chun had a very unfortunate life. For starters, he grew up in poverty because his paternal grandfather forced his father out of the family business because his father had an affair that resulted in his parents’ divorce. Furthermore, the older Chun suffered not just the loss of his first wife Esther but also both of their young children on June 8 of 1944 when a pair of B-24 bombers collided over their home with catastrophic consequences. It wasn’t until later that the older Chun remarried a woman named Gladys Lindo, which resulted in two sons named Dennis and Dickson as well as two daughters named Brenda and Valerie.
5. Inspired By His Father
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chun was inspired to a considerable extent by his father. After all, the man suffered much over the course of his life but nonetheless persevered. As a result, the older Chun was able to go from being a poor, barefoot boy who survived on little more than soda crackers, sugar, and water to being a main cast member of one of the most successful police procedural dramas ever made for the U.S. TV screen.
6. Spent Some Time Helping His Father with an Autobiography
It is interesting to note that Chun apparently spent a fair amount of time helping his father with writing an autobiography. Said book wasn’t complete by the time that his father fell ill, which had a very disruptive effective on the writing progress to say the least. Unfortunately, while Chun has stated something of an interest in seeing the autobiography completed because he wanted people to remember his father for more than just a single role on a single TV show, that doesn’t seem to have ever happened.
7. Studied Political Science
For his education, Chun went to the University of Hawaii where he studied political science. For the most part, political science is what is called an observational science rather than an experimental science, which makes sense because conducting controlled experiments on political matters is very challenging to say the least. However, experimental political science does exist, though it is still very much complicated by issues of ethics as well as issues of practicality.
8. Has Been Both a Bailiff and a Security Officer
Besides being an actor, Chun has been both a bailiff and a security officer as well. Moreover, he seems to have been quite capable in those roles, seeing as how he has earned a Meritorious Service Award for the first and a commendation for his role in stopping a bank robber in the latter.
9. Is an Aquarius
Chun was born on February 5, which makes him an Aquarius. Some people might associate the zodiac sign with the name “waterbearer.” which makes sense because the zodiac sign is named for Ganymede, a Trojan prince who was chosen to become the cupbearer of the Olympian gods. However, it should be mentioned that Aquarius isn’t considered to be a water zodiac sign but rather an air zodiac sign, which are supposed to be more rational and more intellectual than the very emotional water zodiac signs. As for this zodiac sign in particular, those who fall under it are supposed to be analytical, original, and independent in nature, which can manifest as detached, eccentric, and lonesome in nature instead.
10. Has Been In a Number of Stage Productions
Besides his TV work, Chun has been in a number of stage productions as well. One example would be a stage adaptation of Rashomon, which was an Akira Kurosawa movie centered on the rape of a woman as well as the murder of her samurai husband by a bandit. However, no fewer than four versions of the incident is presented to the audience by the bandit, the woman, the spirit of her dead husband, and a woodcutter who was passing by, which are contradictory to one another. However, none of the four versions is meant to be the sole truth. Instead, each one is supposed to be a reflection of a particular reality. The movie was based on a Japanese story called “In a Grove,” which in turn, was based on an American story called “The Moonlit Road.”
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