Kalai Strode

Woodrow Wilson Kalaeloa Strode (December 16, 1946 – November 27, 2014) was a native Hawaiian assistant director in film and television from the early 1970s to around 2010. In film he worked on North Dallas Forty. In television he worked regularly in the series Diagnosis Murder. He also was an actor, writer and composer.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Kalai Strode
Born	Woodrow Wilson Kalaeloa Strode (1946-12-16)December 16, 1946 Hollywood, California, U.S.
Died	November 27, 2014(2014-11-27) (aged 67) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Kalaeloa Strode W Kalaeloa Strode
Occupation	Assistant film director
Years active	1971–2011
Parents	Woody Strode Luukialuana Kalaeloa

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He was born on December 16, 1946, in Hollywood, California.^[1][2] He was of African and self-identified Native American ancestry (Cherokee and Muscogee) from his father's side. On his mother's side he was of Native Hawaiian descent.^[3] His father was professional football player and actor, Woody Strode.^[4][5] His mother was princess Luukialuana Kalaeloa who had done some work in films and was a hula dancer. She was also a descendant of Hawaii's last queen. He had a sister Junelehua (a.k.a. June) who was born in 1948.^[6] He also had two half-brothers. One was Hawaiian actor and entertainer, Lani Kai.^[7] The other was Hawaiian actor Lee Woodd.^[8]

He had been a writer.^[37] Around or prior to the early 1970s, Strode had composed some songs. They included "Blood Red Moon",^[38] "Childling Sun"^[39] "Oh Mellow Day",^[40] "America Is My Home",^[41] "Love Has Its Stormy Seasons",^[42] "Me And My Magic Guitar",^[43] "Nani's Way",^[44] "A Thousand Ways",^[45] and "The Truth Is You",^[46] Another composition of his, possibly written a few years later was "Coco".^[47]

By 2010 at the age of 63, he ran as an independent candidate for the United States House of Representatives. While he was interviewed about his candidacy by Lee Cataluña of the Honolulu Advertiser, he was working for Teamsters Local 996, driving and electrical rigging truck on a movie set of The Descendants.^[48] In the 2010 Special, he came 5th in a list of 14 candidates.^[49]

In 2014, he was interviewed for the documentary The Forgotten Four,^[50] which he and his wife attended the premiere for on September 9, 2014, in Westwood, California.^[51]

During a medical examination as part of a pre-employment physical for a movie, Strode was diagnosed with Mantle cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. He took five months of chemotherapy and appeared to be in remission. In 2013, as a result of a routine PET scan, it was determined that his cancer had returned. He then relocated to Grand Forks for easier access to the Mayo Clinic.^[52][53]

After a three-year battle with the disease, Strode died on November 27, 2014.^[54] At the time of his passing, he was helping to care for his mother-in-law.^[55]