Marie De Narde was a St. Louis-born fashion designer and the longtime wife of actor Jack Lord, the star of the original Hawaii Five-O. She studied fashion and art in Paris, worked in New York, and later stepped away from her own career as Lord pursued acting. They remained married until his death in 1998, and their estate later funded more than $40 million in charitable support across Hawaii.
Marie’s life connects fashion, classic television, and Hawaii in a way most short profiles miss. She knew Jack before his biggest roles. She helped him through the demanding years of Hawaii Five-O and later chose a private life in Honolulu. Their charitable work continued after both of their deaths.
Marie De Narde Had a Fashion Career Before Jack Lord Became Famous
Marie De Narde was born in St. Louis to French parents. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that she studied fashion and art in Paris. She later moved to New York.
In New York, Marie worked as a fashion designer. That career came before her life became closely tied to Jack Lord’s acting work.
Her training also stayed visible later. People who knew her in Hawaii remembered her as stylish and well dressed. She had left full-time fashion work years earlier.
Marie’s own interests were not limited to clothing. A 1996 Star-Bulletin profile described a stone country house near Woodstock, New York. Marie had designed and built it for weekend use. That house played an important part in how she met Jack.
A Country House Led to Marie and Jack Lord Meeting in New York
Jack Lord first became interested in Marie because of the house she had designed near Woodstock.
According to Marie’s 1996 interview, Jack was in the area while on leave from the merchant marine. He saw the house and wanted to know who owned it. A local merchant helped him find Marie’s New York City address.
He left messages for her over the next few weeks. Marie initially thought he might be a pushy real estate agent, but she finally agreed to meet him.
The meeting lasted much longer than planned. Marie recalled that Jack held her attention with stories about his years at sea.
The relationship grew from there. Contemporary profiles place their marriage in the early 1950s. They remained together for more than four decades, until Jack’s death in 1998.
That long marriage covered nearly all of Lord’s mature acting career. It stretched from Broadway and film to the television role that made him famous around the world.
Marie De Narde Chose Family Life Over a Full-Time Fashion Career
After marriage, Marie De Narde moved away from full-time fashion work. She focused more of her time on Jack and his career.
The Honolulu Advertiser reported that she gave up her fashion career. She then supported Jack as he worked toward becoming an actor.
Marie also spoke directly about one major choice in their marriage. In the 1996 Star-Bulletin profile, she said she had once imagined having a large family. She and Jack chose not to have children together after he decided to pursue show business.
That decision shaped their home life for decades. Marie remained deeply involved in Jack’s work. The couple built their life around his acting schedule and, later, their home in Hawaii.
Jack had a son from an earlier marriage, but Marie and Jack did not have children together.
Marie built her adult life around a close partnership with Jack. That partnership lasted through years of changing work and travel.
The Hawaii Five-O Years Made Marie Part of Jack Lord’s Daily Work
Jack Lord began playing Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O in 1968. The series ran for 12 seasons and made him closely identified with Hawaii.
Marie became part of the daily routine behind that success.
In her 1996 Star-Bulletin interview, she said the couple would wake around 3:30 a.m. during production so Jack could rehearse. They would sit together while he read his lines, and she helped him prepare before he left for the set.
After Marie’s death, James MacArthur, who played Danny “Danno” Williams, remembered the same routine. He said she would be up before dawn to read dialogue with Jack and help him get ready for work.
Friends also remembered Marie handling many of the administrative tasks that came with Jack’s television career. Eddie Sherman, who appeared on Hawaii Five-O, described her as the person who kept things steady behind the scenes.
Her fashion background remained visible when she visited the set. MacArthur remembered her as consistently well dressed and pleasant with the people around the production.
Marie De Narde was not part of the cast, but she became closely tied to the working life that surrounded the show.
Hawaii Became Their Permanent Home
The move to Hawaii did not end when Hawaii Five-O stopped production in 1980.
Jack and Marie remained in Honolulu. The Washington Post reported after Jack’s death that the couple stayed in Hawaii and lived in a beachfront condominium.
A 1996 Star-Bulletin profile placed them in an ocean-view condominium near the Kahala hotel. The couple had already made that part of Honolulu their long-term home.
Jack became far less public after the series ended. Marie told the Star-Bulletin that he enjoyed staying home, reading, and living quietly after years of intense work.
The couple also became closely connected to local charities. Their bond with Hawaii had grown beyond the television series that first brought them there.
When Jack died at their Honolulu home on January 21, 1998, Marie was still his wife. She remained in Kahala for the rest of her life.
Marie De Narde’s Final Years and Death in 2005
After Jack’s death, Marie continued living in Honolulu and stayed close to people connected with Hawaii Five-O.
James MacArthur later recalled having lunch with her and listening as she talked about Jack and memories from the series.
Marie De Narde died at her Kahala home on October 13, 2005. The Honolulu Advertiser reported her death the next day.
Like Jack, she had asked that there be no funeral service. Her family and trustees directed people who wanted to remember her toward the Jack and Marie Lord charitable fund.
That request fit the way the couple had lived in later years. They kept their private lives quiet while supporting causes across Hawaii.
Marie’s death also triggered the largest part of the charitable plan she and Jack had built together.
The Jack and Marie Lord Fund Became a $40 Million-Plus Legacy
Jack and Marie created a charitable fund through the Hawaii Community Foundation in 1988.
The Hawaii Community Foundation says their first gift was $50,000. By the time Jack died in 1998, the fund had grown to about $750,000.
The biggest change came after Marie’s death in 2005. The fund received the balance of the couple’s estate, valued at more than $40 million.
That money was directed to 12 Hawaii charities. The beneficiaries have included Hospice Hawaii, the Hawaiian Humane Society, and Bishop Museum. Hawaii Public Television, guide-dog services, the Salvation Army, and other local groups also received support.
The Honolulu Advertiser reported that the estate included investments, real estate, and other assets built over the couple’s lifetime.
Marie De Narde therefore left a legacy that reached far beyond television history. The money she and Jack set aside kept helping many local causes. These included health care, disability services, culture, animals, public media, and other community programs.
Marie De Narde’s Place in Jack Lord’s Story
Marie De Narde knew Jack Lord before Hawaii Five-O, before his Bond role in Dr. No, and before television made him closely linked with Hawaii.
She brought her own background in fashion and art into the marriage. She then spent decades helping Jack through a demanding acting career. Long hours and close preparation became part of their routine.
Their life in Honolulu became permanent. Their connection to Hawaii continued long after the television series ended.
For another Tozy Magazines profile about a woman whose life became closely linked to a major mid-century entertainer, read our story on Catherine Hawn, Dean Martin’s third wife.
Marie’s public record now rests in three clear parts. These are her fashion background, her long partnership with Jack Lord, and the charitable fund they left behind. Together, those parts give a fuller picture of her life. She spent decades beside one of classic television’s most recognizable stars.
