“With a heavy heart, my family and I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Our father Peter N. Tuiasosopo passed away this morning at 3:16am, “Manoah Peter Tuiasosopo wrote today.” My dad lived an amazing life and in no way does his impact stop here. We will continue to live with him in spirit, and as saddened as we are, he is without a doubt in Heaven with his brothers, sisters, parents, daughter, and Jesus, and no longer in pain. His strength, love, compassion, and kindness will forever be felt.”
Born on May 24, 1965, in San Pedro, California, Touisosopo was one of seven children. His father, Manavaalofa Petelo “Sgt. Pete” Tuiasosopo was a U.S. Army veteran and a postal worker; his mother, Silaulala “Sheila” Lealoa Alofaituli, was a registered nurse. An NFL prospect before making his way to Hollywood, he attended Cal-Poly University on a football scholarship. In 1987, he began a two-year career in the NFL, signing with the Cardinals and later the Los Angeles Rams.
Tuiasosopo’s acting career began in 1991 with a role in the college football comedy Necessary Roughness, starring Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, and Robert Loggia. Three years later, he starred as E. Honda in Street Fighter. The film shifts E. Honda’s origins from a sumo wrestler to Chun Li’s cameraman and gives him a more relaxed demeanor than his video game counterpart. Throughout his career, Tuiasosopo appeared in the films Batman & Robin, BASEketball, The Fast And The Furious, and Speed Racer and on TV in Hawaii, Black-ish, Ray Donovan, NCIS, and New Girl. Tuiasosopo was also the first Samoan/Polynesian star to ever appear on a mainstream daytime soap, with his run on The Young And The Restless.
He is survived by his wife, Cheryl D. Leonard, and six children.
