Herman Wedemeyer

Herman John Wedemeyer (May 20, 1924 – January 25, 1999) was an American actor, football player, and politician.[1] He is best known for portraying Sergeant/Detective "Duke" Lukela on the crime drama Hawaii Five-O (1972–1980). He also appeared on the first episode of Hawaii Five-O as Lt. Balta of Honolulu Police Department.

Herman Wedemeyer
Born:May 20, 1924
Hilo, Hawaii
Died:January 25, 1999(1999-01-25) (aged 74)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Career information
Position(s)Halfback
CollegeSt. Mary's College
NFL draft1947 / Round: 1 / Pick 9
(By the Los Angeles Rams)
Career history
As player
1948Los Angeles Dons (AAFC)
1949Baltimore Colts (AAFC)

Sports career

Wedemeyer attended St. Louis School in Honolulu and was a standout in both football and baseball.[2] Wedemeyer, a halfback, played college football for the St. Mary's College Galloping Gaels in Moraga, CA. In 1945, he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy[3] voting, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Wedemeyer was Hawai'i's first consensus All-American football player. He bore the colorful nicknames 'Squirmin' Herman,' 'The Flyin' Hawaiian,' 'The Hawaiian Centipede,' and 'The Hula-Hipped Hawaiian.'

Wedemeyer was a first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference[4] in 1948. Despite leading the AAFC in punt return yardage that year, he was waived by the Dons. He was then signed by the AAFC Baltimore Colts,[5] with whom he played in 1949 before retiring from professional sports for good.

Herman was the brother of Charlie Wedemeyer, a former Michigan State football player who gained fame when, as a football coach at Los Gatos High School, he contracted Lou Gehrig's disease and continued to coach for many years, despite his handicap. He is the subject of a television drama called Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story and the PBS documentary, One More Season.

Government service

In 1968, Wedemeyer was elected to the Honolulu City Council as a Democrat.[1] In 1970, he was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Republican, winning re-election in 1972.

Hawaii Five-O

Wedemeyer played Edward D. "Duke" Lukela[6] on Hawaii Five-O from 1971 to 1980, appearing in 143 episodes. Lukela was originally a uniformed HPD sergeant, but he later joined the Five-O squad as a detective.

Filmography

References
  1. Matsuoka, Brandon (26 January 1999). "Duke Wedemeyer Passes Away". Honolulu Advertiser. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  2. Suehiro, Arthur (2008). "Football Fever". Honolulu Stadium: Where Hawaii Played. Watermark Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9779143-7-1.
  3. "Aloha to Squirmin' Herman, The Hula Hipped Hawaiian". Barracuda Magazine. Barracuda Magazine.
  4. Franks, Joel S (2008). Asian Pacific Americans and Baseball: A History. McFarland. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-7864-3291-2.
  5. "Wedemeyer". Find A Grave. Retrieved 24 May 2010. Find A Grave
  6. Rhodes, Karen (1997). Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series. McFarland & Company. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7864-0171-0.
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