Jack Lord, the "Hawaii Five-0" detective who each week ended the episode with the words "Book 'em, Danno!" has died of heart failure.

Lord, 77, died Jan. 21 at his home in Hawaii, with his wife, Marie, at his side.

Although he will always be best remembered for that 12-year gig as Steve McGarrett on "Hawaii Five-O," he began his career as a stage actor.

Lord was born in New York City, where -- after graduating from NYU on a football scholarship -- he studied at both the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio.

He made his Broadway debut Oct. 27, 1954, in Horton Foote's The Traveling Lady, for which he received a Theatre World Award (along with such other "new kids on the block" as Christopher Plummer, Julie Andrews, Anthony Perkins and Barbara Cook). Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times sang the young actor's praises for his work in the Foote play: "Jack Lord's man in the house, taciturn in manner, has a fervent sincerity that is overwhelming in the last scene." In 1956 Lord replaced Ben Gazzara as Brick in the original production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Shortly thereafter, Hollywood and television beckoned.

The actor also dabbled in the visual arts. Lord majored in art at NYU (in spite of the fact that he was there to play football) and was an accomplished painter. His work can be found in many permanent collections, including New York's Metropolitan Museum.

-- By Rebecca Paller