Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, the American actor known for his role in the 1994 film adaptation of Street Fighter, has died at the age of 59.
Tuiasosopo’s son, Manoah Peter Tuiasosopo, announced his father’s passing in a family statement shared on Facebook, revealing that Peter had died early on Monday morning, February 10.
“My dad lived an amazing life, and his impact does not end here,” he wrote. “We will carry him with us in spirit. While we are saddened, we take comfort in knowing he is in Heaven with his brothers, sisters, parents, daughter, and Jesus, free from pain. His strength, love, compassion, and kindness will always resonate with us.”
Later, Tuiasosopo’s son informed TMZ that his father had succumbed to heart complications while in Phoenix, Arizona. He described his father as “a trailblazer for Polynesian actors in Hollywood.”
Born in 1965 in San Pedro, California, Tuiasosopo had a commanding physical presence that allowed him to briefly play as a center in the NFL during the late 1980s. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals, and later played three games for the Los Angeles Rams as a replacement during a players’ strike that season. Although he was re-signed by the Rams in 1988 and 1989, he was released before both seasons began.
After his NFL career ended, Tuiasosopo transitioned to acting, finding more success in this new path. He landed several supporting roles, appearing in films such as 1991’s Necessary Roughness and the 1994 Steven Seagal movie On Deadly Ground. One of his most notable roles was as E. Honda in Street Fighter.
Throughout his career, Tuiasosopo made appearances in various films, including Batman & Robin, BASEketball, Charlie’s Angels, The Fast and the Furious, The Mummy prequel The Scorpion King, and the cult classic Speed Racer from 2008.
In television, Tuiasosopo had a prolific career, primarily in guest roles. He featured in an episode of NCIS in 2013 and appeared in the second season of the comedy series New Girl starring Zoey Deschanel. In 2015, he secured roles in the crime drama Ray Donovan and the family sitcom Black-ish.
According to IMDb, Tuiasosopo’s final credited appearances were in an episode of the Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans M.C. in 2018 and an episode of the Magnum P.I. remake in 2021.
