Jocelyne LaGarde

Jocelyne LaGarde (1924 – September 12, 1979) was a Tahitian who became famous for her one acting role in the 1966 motion picture, Hawaii.

The film was a big-budget drama based on the best-selling novel of the same name by James A. Michener that tells the story of 19th Century white missionaries bringing Christianity to the island natives. Jocelyne LaGarde was a Polynesian woman who fit perfectly the physical attributes of an important character in the film. Although she had never acted before, and could not speak English, she was hired by Mirisch Productions and given a coach to be phonetically trained to handle her character's dialogue.

As "Queen Alii Nui of Maui, Malama," Jocelyne LaGarde's personality and facial beauty, combined with a reported three hundred pound frame, brought a commanding presence to the screen. Surrounded by a cast of Hollywood all-stars, she stole the show not only with the audience but with the professional members of the film industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated her for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the only performer so honored. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association voted her the winner of their Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Hawaii was Jocelyne LaGarde's only acting role. She died at her home in Papeete, Tahiti in 1979.