"The Karate Kid Part II" was Hawaiian actor Danny Kamekona's feature film debut. Prior to landing the role of Sato (Mr. Miyagi's Okinawan arch-rival), Kamekona was an in-demand television actor, making regular appearances on Hawaii-set series "Hawaii Five-O" and "Magnum, P.I.," as well as any mainland series that "went Hawaiian" for an episode or two. He turned up on "Sanford and Son," "Barnaby Jones," and "The Rockford Files," among many others.
Born in Hilo on the Big Island, Kamekona studied music and acting as a child, eventually attending Brigham Young University–Hawaii. After appearing in "Part II," his opportunities in film expanded; he had small roles in "Problem Child" and "Honeymoon in Vegas," and reunited with Pat Morita on the 1988 Jay Leno comedy "Collision Course." Kamekona still continued his television work during this time, co-starring in the short-lived 1960s revival series "Burke's Law" in 1994.
Kamekona spent the last years of his life splitting his time between Hawaii and Los Angeles. On May 2, 1996 he was found dead in his LA apartment. No cause of death was ever released, though according to his sister he had recently undergone a heart valve replacement.
