Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated
tap dance
Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...
rs of all time. As an actor, he is best known for ''
Wolfen'' (1981), ''
The Cotton Club'' (1984), ''
White Nights'' (1985), ''
Running Scared'' (1986), ''
The Gregory Hines Show'' (1997–1998), playing Ben on ''
Will & Grace'' (1999–2000), and for voicing Big Bill on the
Nick Jr. animated children's television program ''
Little Bill'' (1999–2004).
Hines starred in more than 40 films and also appeared on
Broadway. He received many accolades, including a
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
, a
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
, and a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
, as well as nominations for a
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
and four
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s.
Early life
Hines was born in New York City, on February 14, 1946, to Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines, a dancer, musician, and actor, and grew up in the
Sugar Hill neighborhood of
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
.
He began
tap dancing when he was two years old, and began dancing semi-professionally at age five. After that, he and his older brother
Maurice performed together, studying with choreographer
Henry LeTang.
Gregory and Maurice also studied with veteran tap dancers such as
Howard Sims and The
Nicholas Brothers when they performed at the same venues. The brothers were known as The Hines Kids, making nightclub appearances at venues in Miami, Florida, with
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...
. They were later known as The Hines Brothers.
When their father joined the act as a drummer, their name changed again in 1963 to ''Hines, Hines, and Dad''.
Career
Tap dance
Hines was an avid improviser of tap steps, tap sounds, and tap rhythms alike. His improvisation was like that of a drummer, doing a solo and coming up with rhythms. He also improvised the phrasing of a number of tap steps, mainly to fit the unfolding sound. A laid-back dancer, he usually wore loose-fitting pants and a tighter shirt.
Although he inherited the roots of traditional black rhythmic tap, he also promoted contemporary black rhythmic tap. "He purposely obliterated the tempos," wrote tap historian Sally Sommer, "throwing down a cascade of taps like pebbles tossed across the floor. In that moment, he aligned tap with the latest free-form experiments in jazz and new music and postmodern dance."
Throughout his career, Hines wanted and continued to be an advocate for tap in America. He successfully petitioned the creation of
National Tap Dance Day in May 1989, which is now celebrated in forty cities in the United States, as well as eight other nations. He was on the board of directors of Manhattan Tap, a member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble, and a member of the
American Tap Dance Foundation, which was formerly called the American Tap Dance Orchestra.
In 1989, he created and hosted a PBS special called ''Gregory Hines' Tap Dance in America'', which featured various tap dancers such as
Savion Glover and
Bunny Briggs.
In 1990, Hines visited his idol (and ''Tap'' co-star)
Sammy Davis Jr., who was dying of
throat cancer
Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...
and was unable to speak. After Davis died, an emotional Hines spoke at Davis' funeral of how Davis made a gesture to him, "as if passing a basketball ... and I caught it." Hines spoke of how honored he had been that Davis thought that he could carry on from where Davis left off.
Through his teaching, he influenced tap dancers such as
Savion Glover,
Dianne Walker,
Ted Levy, and
Jane Goldberg.
[ In an interview with '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in 1988, Hines said that everything he did was influenced by his dancing: "my singing, my acting, my lovemaking, my being a parent."[
]
Stage acting
Hines made his Broadway debut with his brother in '' The Girl in Pink Tights'' in 1954. He earned Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nominations for '' Eubie!'' (1979), ''Comin' Uptown'' (1980), and '' Sophisticated Ladies'' (1981), and won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
for '' Jelly's Last Jam'' (1992) and the Theatre World Award for ''Eubie!''.
Music
Hines performed as the lead singer and musician in a rock band called ''Severance'' based in Venice, Los Angeles
Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, whe ...
in 1975 and 1976. ''Severance'' was one of the house bands at an original music club called Honky Hoagies Handy Hangout, otherwise known as the 4H Club. ''Severance'' released their self-titled debut album on Largo Records (a subsidiary of GNP Crescendo) in 1976.
In 1986, he sang a duet with Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
called " There's Nothing Better Than Love", which reached the No. 1 position on the ''Billboard'' R&B charts. Encouraged by his first success on the chart, Hines subsequently released his self-titled debut album on Epic in 1988 with much support from Vandross. This album produced a Vandross-penned single "That Girl Wants to Dance with Me", which peaked at #6 on the R&B charts in June 1988.
Film and television
In 1981, Hines made his movie debut in Mel Brooks
Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...
's '' History of the World, Part I'', replacing Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...
, who was originally cast in the role but sustained severe burns just days before he was due to begin shooting. Madeline Kahn
Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She was known for her comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc ...
, also starring in the film, suggested to director Mel Brooks that he look into Hines for the role after they learned of Pryor's hospitalization. He also appeared in the horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
'' Wolfen'' later that year.
Hines' peak as an actor came in the mid-1980s. He had a large role in '' The Cotton Club'' (1984), where he and his brother Maurice (in his sole film credit) played a 1930s tap-dancing duo reminiscent of the Nicholas Brothers. Hines co-starred with Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...
in the 1985 film '' White Nights'', and co-starred with Billy Crystal in the 1986 buddy cop film '' Running Scared''. He starred in the 1989 film '' Tap'' opposite Sammy Davis Jr. (in Davis' last screen performance). He appeared alongside Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
and Loretta Devine in the highly successful 1995 film '' Waiting to Exhale'' and opposite Houston, Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
and Courtney B. Vance the following year in '' The Preacher's Wife''. On television, he starred in his own sitcom in 1997, '' The Gregory Hines Show'', which ran for one season on CBS, and had a recurring role of Ben Doucette on '' Will & Grace''.
In an interview in 1987, Hines said that he often looked for roles written for white actors, "preferring their greater scope and dynamics." Of his role in ''Running Scared'', for example, he said that he enjoyed that his character had sex scenes, because "usually, the black guy has no sexuality at all."
Hines starred in the 1998 film '' The Tic Code''. He voiced Big Bill in the Nick Jr. Channel's animated children series '' Little Bill'', which ran from 1999 to 2004. He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for the role in 2003.
Other
Hines co-hosted the Tony Awards ceremony in 1995 and 2002.
Personal life
Hines' marriages to Patricia Panella and Pamela Koslow ended in divorce. He had a daughter, Daria, with Panella, and a son, Zachary with Koslow. For the last three years of his life, he was engaged to bodybuilder Negrita Jayde
Negrita Jayde (July 5, 1958August 28, 2009) was a Canadian female bodybuilding champion, personal trainer, author, actress and businesswoman. She was the longtime partner and fiancée of Gregory Hines at the time of his death in August 2003. Her b ...
, who was based in Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
Death
Hines died of liver cancer
Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...
on August 9, 2003, en route to a hospital from his home in Los Angeles. He was diagnosed with the disease a year earlier, but informed only his closest friends. At the time of his death, production of the television show '' Little Bill'' was ending. He was survived by his fiancée Jayde, children Daria and Zachary, ex-stepdaughter Jessica, and grandson Lucian.
His funeral was held at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. He was buried at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery in Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town and List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipality in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. Generally seen as a commuter suburb of Toronto, it is located on Lake ...
.
Legacy
On January 28, 2019, the United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
honored Hines with a postage stamp as part of its Black Heritage Series. It was issued with a ceremony at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.
Awards and nominations
Awards
*1979 Theatre World Award – '' Eubie!''
*1988 Image Awards
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture – '' Running Scared''
*1992 Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for Best Actor in a Musical – '' Jelly's Last Jam''
*1992 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical – ''Jelly's Last Jam''
*1998 Flo-Bert Award – Lifetime Achievement in Tap Dance by the New York Committee to Celebrate National Tap Dance Day
*2002 Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini Series or Dramatic Special – '' Bojangles''
*2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – '' Little Bill''
Nominations
* 1979 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical—''Eubie!''
* 1980 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical—''Comin' Uptown''
* 1981 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical—''Sophisticated Ladies''
* 1982 Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for Outstanding Individual Achievement—Special Class—''I Love Liberty''
* 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program—''Motown Returns to the Apollo''
* 1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program—''Great Performances
''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...
: Tap Dance in America ''
* 1992 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Choreography—''Jelly's Last Jam''
* 1992 Tony Award for Best Choreography—''Jelly's Last Jam''
* 1995 Image Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture—''Waiting to Exhale''
* 1998 American Comedy Awards Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series—'' Will & Grace''
* 1998 Image Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series—'' The Gregory Hines Show''
* 2001 Black Reel Awards Network/Cable Best Actor—''Bojangles''
* 2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie—'' Bojangles''
* 2001 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries—''Bojangles''
* 2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special—'' The Red Sneakers''
* 2003 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special—''The Red Sneakers''
Filmography
*'' Finian's Rainbow'' (1968) – Child Extra
*''Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'' (TV) (1979–1980) – Himself
*'' History of the World, Part I'' (1981) – Josephus
*'' Wolfen'' (1981) – Coroner Whittington
*'' Deal of the Century'' (1983) – Ray Kasternak
*'' The Muppets Take Manhattan'' (1984) – Roller Skater
*'' The Cotton Club'' (1984) – 'Sandman' Williams
*'' White Nights'' (1985) – Raymond Greenwood
*'' Faerie Tale Theatre:'' " Puss in Boots" (1985) – Edgar
*''Amazing Stories
''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...
'': (TV) "The Amazing Falsworth" (1985) – Falsworth
*''About Tap'' (1985) – Himself
*'' Running Scared'' (1986) – Detective Ray Hughes
*'' Off Limits'' (1988) – Albaby Perkins
*'' Tap'' (1989) – Max Washington
*''Gregory Hines' Saigon'' (1987) – Himself
*''Gregory Hines' Tap Dance in America'' (1989) – Himself
*'' Eve of Destruction'' (1991) – Colonel Jim McQuade
*'' A Rage in Harlem'' (1991) – 'Goldy'
*''White Lie'' (1991) – Len Madison Jr.
*'' T Bone N Weasel'' (1992) – 'T-Bone'
*''Dead Air'' (1994) – Mark Jannek / Jim Sheppard
*''Renaissance Man
A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
'' (1994) – Sergeant Cass
*''Kangaroo Court'' (1994)
*'' Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'' (1995, Episode "Beauty and the Beast") – The Beast / Prince Koro (voice)
*''A Stranger in Town'' (1995) – Barnes
*'' Waiting to Exhale'' (1995) – Marvin King
*'' Good Luck'' (1996) – Bernard 'Bern' Lemley
*'' Mad Dog Time'' (1996) – Jules Flamingo
*'' The Preacher's Wife'' (1996) – Joe Hamilton
*'' The Cherokee Kid'' (1996) – Jedediah Turner / The Undertaker
*'' Subway Stories: Tales From the Underground'' (1997) – Jack (segment "Manhattan Miracle")
*'' The Gregory Hines Show'' (1997 to 1998) – Ben Stevenson
*''Blue's Clues
''Blue's Clues'' is an American interactive educational television, educational children's television series created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela Santomero, Angela C. Santomero. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block ...
'' (1999, Episode ''Blue's Big Treasure Hunt'') – Jack
*'' The Tic Code'' (1999) – Tyrone Pike
*'' Will & Grace'' (TV) (1999 to 2000) – Ben Doucette
*''Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her Things or The Things may refer to:
Music
* ''Things'' (album), by Uri Caine and Paolo Fresu, 2006
* "Things" (Bobby Darin song), 1962; covered by Ronnie Dove, 1975
* "Things", a song by Joe Walsh from '' There Goes the Neighborhood'', 1981
* "Thi ...
'' (2000) – Robert (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")
*'' Who Killed Atlanta's Children?'' (TV) (2000) – Ron Larson
*'' Once in the Life'' (2000) – Ruffhouse
*'' Bojangles'' (2001) – Bojangles
*''Venice: Lost and Found'' (2002) – Himself
*'' The Red Sneakers'' (TV) (2002) – Zeke
*''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'': (TV) "Suicide Box" (2003) – Carl Helpert
*'' Lost at Home'': (TV) (2003) – Jordan King
*''The Root'' (2003)
*'' Little Bill'' (TV) (1999 to 2004, until his death) – Bill 'Big Bill' (final television appearance)
*''Keeping Time: The Life, Music & Photography of Milt Hinton'' (2004) – Himself
*''Love That Girl, Sally'' (2004) – Fred (final film role; dedicated production)
See also
* List of dancers
A
*Fred Astaire ( – ), American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer, musician and actor. He was an innovator in dance. He made 31 musical films, 10 featuring his dances with Ginger Rogers, and was honored with the fifth ...
References
External links
*
*
*
Obituary
at ''Blog of Death''
*
Tapping into history
, Deborah Jowitt, ''Village Voice'', August 2003.
TonyAwards.com Interview with Gregory Hines
Archival footage of Gregory Hines, Dianne Walker and Jimmy Slyde in 1996 at Jacob's Pillow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hines, Gregory
1946 births
2003 deaths
20th-century African-American educators
20th-century American educators
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American singers
People from Harlem
African-American choreographers
African-American male child actors
20th-century African-American male actors
African-American male dancers
African-American male singers
American choreographers
American male child actors
American male dancers
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male singers
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American tap dancers
American dance teachers
Daytime Emmy Award winners
Deaths from liver cancer in California
Drama Desk Award winners
Educators from New York City
Male actors from Manhattan
Musical theatre choreographers
Musicians from Manhattan
Singers from New York City
Theatre World Award winners
Tony Award winners