Teila Tuli, a former UFC fighter who later became an actor known as Taylor Wily and starred in “Hawaii Five-O” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” has died at the age of 56.
Teila Tuli, who fought in the first-ever televised bout at UFC 1 in 1993, has passed away at 56. The news was initially reported by Hawaii’s KITV and later confirmed by Hawaii Five-O producer Peter M. Lenkov.
Tuli, who later changed his name to Taylor Wily for his acting career, was a beloved actor on the CBS show. Lenkov paid tribute to him in a heartfelt social media post.
“T, as I told you many times, I fell in love with you at the first audition,” Lenkov wrote. “You came in with a towel on your head mopping up sweat, and I was smitten. You charmed me into making you a regular… on the show… and in my life. You were family. And I will miss you every day, brother."
“PS: when we spoke last week, we laughed at how right you were from Day 1. Five-0 was our dream job. And I was so lucky we got to share that magic together.”
Tuli also starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and later secured a prominent role on the Hawaii Five-O reboot.
While he’s best known now for his acting work, Tuli was one of the 10 fighters who competed on the first-ever UFC card in Denver back in 1993. The show aimed to pit different martial arts styles against each other.
Tuli joined the promotion after a career in sumo wrestling, where he had an impressive 57-27-14 record overall.
He eventually moved on to compete in New Japan Pro Wrestling but continued training in martial arts. This dedication led to his invitation to fight on the first UFC show.
Tuli’s bout lasted just 26 seconds after he suffered a head kick knockout from Gerard Gordeau. This marked the first-ever UFC fight shown on television (an alternate bout took place but wasn’t broadcast).
That was Tuli’s only appearance in mixed martial arts competition.
After changing his professional name, he ventured into acting with his first significant role coming in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He played a hotel worker who befriends Jason Segel’s character.
He later appeared in 171 episodes of Hawaii Five-O, which concluded its run in 2020.
Tuli is survived by his wife and two children.