PODCAST: ‘Magnum PI’ actor Rich Ting shares journey from UH law school to Hollywood

Actor Rich Ting has a special connection to Hawaii. Not only was he on "Magnum, P.I.," but he...
Actor Rich Ting has a special connection to Hawaii. Not only was he on "Magnum, P.I.," but he also graduated from UH law school.(@richtingworld/Instagram)
Published: Aug. 17, 2022 at 1:55 PM HST
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Actor Rich Ting has a special connection to Hawaii.

Not only has he starred in the CBS reboot of “Magnum, P.I.,” but he also has ties to the islands as a proud graduate of the University of Hawaii, where he obtained both his law degree and master’s of business administration.

“You know, I think as I get older, I appreciate it more, I think as we all do,” Ting said. “You know, the relationships I not only established and created with my teachers, my professors, the administration, as well as my peers — they still last today.”

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After graduating from Yale, the Los Angeles native said going from the East Coast to Hawaii was exactly what he needed — the sun, the beach and the culture reminded him of home.

But now he’s doing something completely different: acting in several big titles.

From voice acting in the Netflix animation “Summit of the Gods” to more recently playing a villain in “Magnum P.I.,” Ting’s ability to play different roles has been recognized throughout the film industry.

In one of Ting’s most recent productions “Partner Track” — out this month on Netflix — he plays a character with a very similar background as him.

“I kind of played myself in this role because on that level, academically, resume-wise, we’re the same, you know, we both went to an Ivy league school, we both went to law school, we both graduated, but we chose to not practice professionally,” Ting said. “That’s why I say technically, because I technically am a lawyer, but I’m just not practicing in that character.”

Despite the heavy workload and countless projects he is working on, Ting still has time to reflect on his years in Hawaii and the impact that going to school in the islands had on him. You can hear more about Ting’s journey in the latest episode of Island Beat.

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