Hawaii Five-O's Original Danno Dies

James MacArthur passes away at his Florida home of natural causes

By Gina Serpe Oct 28, 2010 7:15 PMTags
James MacArthur, Jack Lord, Hawaii Five-OCBS

The actor responsibly for being on the receiving end of one of television's most enduring catchphrases has passed on.

James MacArthur, who had the pleasure of being told to "book 'em," long before Scott Caan came along, passed away from natural causes today at his home in Florida. He was 72.

While his acting career spanned more than four decades, and included roles on Gunsmoke and Swiss Family Robinson, MacArthur was far and away best known for playing Detective Danny "Danno" Williams, sidekick to Jack Lord's Steve McGarret, in the original Hawaii Five-O.

The show ran from 1968 to 1980, and MacArthur appeared in every season save the last.

"Sad," Peter Lenkov, the director of the rebooted CBS series, tweeted. "We've lost a special part of our heritage today."

You'd be hard-pressed to find a TV lover who'd argue with that. RIP, Danno.