Glenn Cannon, the longtime University of Hawaii drama professor whose acting credits include many of the major TV series shot in the islands, will be honored tonight with a lifetime achievement tribute at Manoa Valley Theatre.

The 78-year-old Cannon has taught at the Manoa campus since making Hawaii his home in 1968. The Philadelphia native arrived in the islands with a diverse résumé: Broadway, television and teaching at Stanford University.

He had appeared in "Studio One in Hollywood," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "77 Sunset Strip" and had a recurring role in the popular World War II drama "Combat!"

Cannon appeared on many Hawaii-based TV shows, including "Magnum, P.I.," "Jake and the Fatman," "Tour of Duty," "Island Son" and "Lost." But his most memorable local role was Attorney General John Manicote in the original version of "Hawaii Five-0."

"For Manicote he brought, as I think he brings to all his work, an integrity and an honesty that is the real deal," said tribute organizer David Farmer, an attorney and close friend who has acted alongside Cannon. "People could relate to that role in a way that made it memorable."

The tribute will be part roast, part performance, with songs and comic sketches from Joyce Maltby, Kalani Brady, Terrence Knapp, Eddie Sherman and Jim Tharp, Farmer said.

Cannon, who also serves as president of the Hawaii branch of the Screen Actors Guild, was pleasantly surprised when his wife, Samsil, told him about the tribute.

Television has changed much in the years he’s been in the business, but not the craft of acting.

"I think what remains constant is the effort of good actors to portray the character they are portraying as honestly as possible," Cannon said. "The imperative is to play to the truth of the characters."