Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, producer, and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

. Along with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone, he founded The Negro Ensemble Company. The Negro Ensemble Company is credited with the launch of the careers of many major black artists of all disciplines, while creating a body of performance literature over the last thirty years, providing the backbone of African-American theatrical classics. Additionally, Hooks is the sole founder of two significant black theatre companies: the D.C. Black Repertory Company, and New York's Group Theatre Workshop.

Biography

Early life

The youngest of five children, Hooks was born in Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C., to Mae Bertha (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Ward), a

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...

, and Edward Hooks, who had moved from

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina. The city is east of Raleigh, the st ...

, with their four other children, Bernice, Caroleigh, Charles Edward "Charlie", and James Walter "Jimmy". Named Bobby Dean Hooks at birth, Robert was their first child born in Washington, D.C., and the first to be born in a hospital. His father, Edward, died in a work accident on the railroad in 1939. Hooks attended Stevens Elementary School. In 1945, at the insistence of his sister Bernice who was doing community arts outreach for youngsters at Francis Junior High School, he performed the lead in his first play, ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...

'', at the age of nine. From the ages of six to 12, Bobby Dean journeyed with his siblings to Lucama, North Carolina, to work the tobacco fields for his uncle's

sharecropping Sharecropping is a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...

farm as a way to help earn money for the coming school year in D.C. In 1954, just as Brown vs. Board of Education was being implemented in the north, Hooks moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to be with his mother, her second husband, and his half-siblings, Safia Abdullah (née Sharon Dickerson), George E. Dickerson, Charles Dickerson, Annette Dickerson, Margie Dickerson, Robert Dickerson. Hooks experienced his first integrated school experience at West Philadelphia High School. Hooks soon joined the drama club and began acting in plays by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

. Hooks graduated in 1956, passing on a scholarship to

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

in order to pursue a career as a stage actor at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Theatre (alongside Charles Dierkop and Bruce Dern, with whom he second-acted plays doing their pre-Broadway tryouts in Philadelphia), while working at Browning King, a men's tailor shop at Fourteenth and Chestnut Streets.

Acting career

Having trained at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Theatre in Philadelphia, and after seeing ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Ch ...

'' in its Philadelphia tryout in February 1959, Hooks moved to New York to pursue acting. In April 1960, as Bobby Dean Hooks, he made his Broadway debut in ''

'', replacing

Louis Gossett Jr. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (May 27, 1936 – March 29, 2024) was an American actor. He made his stage debut at the age of 17. Shortly thereafter, he successfully auditioned for the Broadway theatre, Broadway play ''Take a Giant Step.'' Gossett co ...

, who would be doing the film version. Hooks then continued to do its national tour. He then stepped into the Broadway production of '' A Taste of Honey'', replacing

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American retired actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars ...

; then repeating the same national tour trajectory as he had done for "Raisin..." the previous year. In early 1962, he next appeared as the lead in

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

's '' The Blacks'', replacing

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...

as the male lead, leaving briefly that same year to appear on Broadway again in ''

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright ''Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright'' is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright Peter Feibleman. The play premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in 1962. Claudia McNeil was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for ...

'', before stepping back into the lead role in ''The Blacks'' in 1963. He then returned to Broadway, first in ''Ballad for Bimshire'' and then in the short-lived 1964 David Merrick revival of ''The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Any More'' (as a character created by Tennessee Williams for this revival) and starring

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

and

Tab Hunter Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond hair and clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. During the 1950s and 1960s ...

in his only stage performance. Immediately thereafter, on March 24, 1964, he originated the role of Clay in

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...

's '' Dutchman''. With this play, on the advice of Roscoe Lee Brown, Hooks became known as, Robert Hooks. He also originated roles on the New York stage in ''Where's Daddy?'' for which he won the

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

and he was nominated for Best Male Lead in a Musical for ''Hallelujah Baby'' while he was simultaneously starring in David Susskind's '' N.Y.P.D.''—the first African-American lead on a television drama. In 1968, Hooks was the host of the new public affairs television program '' Like It Is''. Hooks was nominated for a

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

for his lead role in the musical ''

Hallelujah, Baby! ''Hallelujah, Baby!'' is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the irst half of the20th centur ...

'', has received both the Pioneer Award and the

NAACP Image Award 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 ...

for Lifetime Achievement, and has been inducted into the

Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI), was founded in 1974, in Oakland, California. It supported and promoted black filmmaking, and preserved the contributions by African-American artists both before and behind the camera. It also sponso ...

. He also won an

Emmy 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 catego ...

for his

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

special ''Voices of Our People''. Significant roles for which Hooks is known include Reeve Scott in '' Hurry Sundown'' (1967), Mr. T. in the blaxploitation film '' Trouble Man'' (1972), grandpa Gene Donovan in the comedy ''

Seventeen Again ''Seventeen Again'' is an American fantasy–comedy film. It first aired on Showtime on November 12, 2000, and was released on DVD on April 9, 2002. The film was also included as a bonus feature on the '' Sister, Sister'' (which ended in M ...

'' (2000), and Fleet Admiral Morrow in '' Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' (1984). He also appeared on television in an episode of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

crime drama series ''

The Eddie Capra Mysteries ''The Eddie Capra Mysteries'' is an American mystery television series starring Vincent Baggetta as a lawyer who investigates murders and has a knack for solving them. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 8, 1978, to January 12, 1979.M ...

'' in 1978, and portrayed Doctor Walcott in the 1980s television series ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

''.

Activism

Arts and culture

In 1964, as a result of a speaking engagement at the Chelsea Civil Rights Committee (then connected to the Hudson Guild Settlement House), Hooks founded The Group Theatre Workshop, a tuition-free environment for disadvantaged urban teens who expressed a desire to explore acting. Among the instructors were

Barbara Ann Teer Barbara Ann Teer (June 18, 1937 – July 21, 2008) was an American writer, producer, teacher, actress and social visionary. In 1968, she founded Harlem's National Black Theatre, the first revenue-generating black theater arts complex in the U.S. ...

Frances Foster Frances Helen Foster (née Brown; June 11, 1924 – June 17, 1997)Mapp, Edward (1978). Directory of Blacks in the Performing Arts'. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. p. 120. . was an American film, television and stage actress. In addition t ...

, Hal DeWindt,

Lonne Elder III Lonne Elder III (December 26, 1927 – June 11, 1996) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. Elder was one of the leading African-American figures who informed the New York theater world with social and political consciousness. ...

, and

Ronnie Mack Ronald Augustus Mack (July 11, 1940 – November 5, 1963)

. Alumni include

Antonio Fargas Antonio Fargas (born August 14, 1946) is an American actor known for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation and comedy movies, as well as his portrayal as Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series ''Starsky & Hutch''. Early life Fargas was born in New York C ...

Hattie Winston Hattie Winston (born March 3, 1945) is an American film, television and Broadway actress. She is known for her roles as Margaret Wyborn on '' Becker'', Lucy Carmichael in '' Rugrats'', '' The Rugrats Movie'', and the spin off series '' All Gro ...

, and

Daphne Maxwell Reid Daphne Etta Reid (née Maxwell; July 13, 1948) is an American actress, comedian, designer, and former model. She is best known for her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1993 to 1996. Early ...

. The Group Theatre Workshop was folded into the tuition-free training arm of the Negro Ensemble Company, founded in 1967 with Douglas Turner Ward and

Gerald S. Krone Gerald is a masculine given name derived from the Germanic languages prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Gerald is a Norman French variant of the Germanic name. An Old English equivalent name was Garweald, the likely original ...

, with a $1.3 million grant from the Ford Foundation under the auspices of W. McNeil Lowry. From 1969 to 1972, Hooks served as an original board member of Black Academy of Arts and Letters, located in New York, alongside C. Eric Lincoln, President; John O. Killens,

Alvin F. Poussaint Alvin Francis Poussaint (May 15, 1934 – February 24, 2025) was an American psychiatrist known for his research on the effects of racism in the black community. He was a noted author, public speaker, and television consultant, and dean of stude ...

, and Charles White. Chartered by the State of New York, its mission was to bring together black artists and scholars from around the world. Additional members included

Julian Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul jazz single "Me ...

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cent ...

Margaret Walker Margaret Walker (Margaret Abigail Walker Alexander by marriage; July 7, 1915 – November 30, 1998) was an American poet and writer. She was part of the African-American literary movement in Chicago, known as the Chicago Black Renaissance. ...

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (né Jones; August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'' has been ranked ...

, Imamu Baraka,

Romare Bearden Romare Bearden (, ) (September 2, 1911 – March 12, 1988) was an American artist, author, and songwriter. He worked with many types of media including cartoons, oils, and collages. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bearden grew up in New York C ...

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

, Lerone Bennett,

Arna Bontemps Arna Wendell Bontemps ( ) (October 13, 1902 – June 4, 1973) was an American poet, novelist and librarian, and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Bontemps was born in 1902 in Alexandria, Louisiana, into a Louisiana Creole peopl ...

Ossie Davis Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, Film director, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received num ...

, Ruby Dee Davis,

St. Clair Drake John Gibbs St. Clair Drake (January 2, 1911 – June 15, 1990)Calloway, Earl (June 28, 1990). "Memorial services held for Dr. Drake, noted author and Roosevelt professor." ''Chicago Defender'', p. 10. was an African-American sociologist and anthr ...

, Ernest Dunbar,

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an African American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century and directed her own dance compan ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Alex Haley Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...

, Ruth Inge Hardison, Vertis Hayes,

Chester Himes Chester Bomar Himes (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) was an American writer. His works, some of which have been filmed, include '' If He Hollers Let Him Go'', published in 1945, and the '' Harlem Detective'' series of novels for which he i ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", an art form populariz ...

Elma Lewis Elma Ina Lewis (September 15, 1921 – January 1, 2004) was an American arts educator and the founder of The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts and the National Center of Afro-American Artists. In 1981 she was one of the first recipients of t ...

, Henry Lewis,

Paule Marshall Paule Marshall (April 9, 1929 – August 12, 2019) was an American writer, best known for her 1959 debut novel '' Brown Girl, Brownstones''. In 1992, at the age of 63, Marshall was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant. Life and career Marshall wa ...

Donald McKayle Donald McKayle (July 6, 1930 – April 6, 2018) was an American modern dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and writer best known for creating socially conscious concert works during the 1950s and '60s that focus on expressing the human con ...

, Arthur Mitchell, Frederick O’Neal,

Gordon Parks Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and filmmaker, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particularly ...

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his ot ...

, Benjamin Quarles,

Lloyd Richards Lloyd George Richards (June 29, 1919 – June 29, 2006) was a Canadian-American theatre director, and actor. While head of the National Playwrights Conference, he helped cultivate many of the most famous theater writers of the 20th century. He ...

, Lucille D. Roberts, and

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

. In response to his hometown 1968 Washington, D.C., riots, in the wake of the

assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05& ...

, and aided by a small grant from the Eugene and

Agnes E. Meyer Agnes Elizabeth Ernst Meyer (née Ernst; January 2, 1887 – September 1, 1970) was an American journalist, philanthropist, civil rights activist, and art patron. Throughout her life, Meyer was engaged with intellectuals, artists, and writers ...

Foundation, Hooks took a leave of absence from the Negro Ensemble Company to create The D.C. Black Repertory Company (1970–1981). The company was intended as a further exploration of the ability of the arts to create healing. The

a capella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

group

Sweet Honey in the Rock Sweet Honey in the Rock are an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are a three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language. Originally a four-person en ...

was created and developed within its workshop process. The Inner Voices ( Lorton Prison arts training program, 1971) proved to be a result of the beneficial effect of the repertory company in the D.C. area. In response to a direct plea from an inmate, Rhozier "Roach" Brown, who was serving a life sentence in Lorton, Hooks' D.C. Black Repertory Company structured the first prison-based arts program in the United States. While it is the norm now, it was then a revolutionary attempt at rehabilitation through the arts. Eventually The Inner Voices performed more than 500 times in other prisons, including a Christmas special entitled, "Holidays, Hollowdays." Due to Roach's work, President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

commuted his sentence on Christmas Day, 1975. His relocation to the West Coast redirected Hooks' approach to parity in the arts with his involvement with The Bay Area Multicultural Arts Initiative (1988) as a board member and grant facilitator-judge. Funded by monies from a unique coalition made up of the

San Francisco Foundation San Francisco Foundation is a San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with ...

(a community foundation); Grants for the Arts of the San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, and

The National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, the function of this organization was the funding of deserving local multicultural arts organizations. In 1992, Hooks co-founded (with writer

) Arts in Action. Located in South Central Los Angeles, this was a film and television training center established to guide individuals who aspired to careers in film production. It formulated strategies and training for securing entry-level jobs. Courses included: career development workshops; pre-production and production for film and television; creative problem solving in production management; directing for stage and screen—principles and practices; also the craft of assistant directors, script supervisor, technicians, wardrobe, make-up, etc. The Negro Ensemble Company of Los Angeles (1994–1997) was created because so many New York members and original members had relocated to the West Coast. Hooks, as founder and executive director, asked

Denise Nicholas Denise Donna Nicholas (born July 12, 1944) is an American actress. Nicholas played high-school guidance counselor Liz McIntyre on the ABC comedy-drama series ''Room 222'' and Councilwoman Harriet DeLong on the NBC/ CBS drama series '' In the He ...

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 ...

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...

Richard Roundtree Richard Arnold Roundtree (July 9, 1942 – October 24, 2023) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film '' Shaft'' and four of its sequels, '' Shaft's Big Score!'' (1972), '' Shaft ...

, Samuel L. Jackson, all alumni from New York Negro Ensemble Company, to serve as board members. The goal of the Negro Ensemble Company of Los Angeles was to be a new and innovative multi-ethnic cultural project that strived to achieve the community effectiveness and professional success of its parent organization.

Personal life

Hooks is the father of actor, television and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

Kevin Hooks Kevin Hooks (born September 19, 1958) is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable for his roles in '' Aaron Loves Angela'' and '' Sounder'', but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's '' The White Shadow''. Earl ...

. He married Lorrie Gay Marlow (actress, author, artist) on June 15, 2008. Previously, he was married to Yvonne Hickman and Rosie Lee Hooks. In 2021, Emory University began adding to its official archives material documenting Hooks' career, including scripts, printed material, contracts and financial records, notes, correspondence, writings, books and periodicals, audiovisual and digital files.

Awards

* 1966 – Theatre World Award (1965–66) for ''Where's Daddy?'' (The Billy Rose Theatre) * 1979 – American Black Achievement Award –

Ebony Magazine ''Ebony'' is a monthly magazine that focuses on news, culture, and entertainment. Its target audience is the Black-American community, and its coverage includes the lifestyles and accomplishments of influential black people, fashion, beauty, and ...

* 1982 – Emmy Award for Producing (1982), ''Voices of Our People: In Celebration of Black Poetry'' (KCET-TV/PBS) * 1966 – Tony Nomination, Lead Role in a Musical for Hallelujah, Baby * 1985 – Inducted into The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, recipient Oscar Micheaux Award (1985) * 1986 – March 2 declared Robert Hooks Day by the City of Los Angeles, Mayor Tom Bradley * 1987 – Excellence in Advertising and Communications to Black Communities from CEBA (Excellence in Advertising and Communications to Black Communities) * 2000 – Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa honorary degree,

Bowie State University Bowie State University (Bowie State or BSU) is a public historically black university in Prince George's County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is Maryland's oldest his ...

* 2000 – May 25 declared Robert Hooks Day in Washington, D.C. * 2005 – Beverly Hills/Hollywood Chapter NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement * 2005 – Beverly Hills/Hollywood Chapter NAACP Trailblazer Award to the

Negro Ensemble Company The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by producer-actor Robert Hooks, playwright Douglas Turner Ward, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundatio ...

* 2005 – Trailblazer Award – City of Los Angeles * 2006 – The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), Lifetime Achievement Award (Dallas) * 2007 – The Black Theatre Alliance Awards / Lifetime Achievement Award * 2015 – Living Legend Award (2015) National Black Theatre Festival * 2018 – October 18 proclaimed Robert Hooks Day by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Washington, D.C. * 2018 – Hooks is entered into The Congressional Record by the Hon.

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. Norton is a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as ...

, September 4, 2018, Vol. 164 * 2018 – Visionary Founder and Creator Award – D.C. Black Repertory Company on its 47th anniversary

Theatre, Film, & Television credits

Theatre - Acting

* 1960: ''A Raisin in the Sun'' as George Murchison (Broadway) * 1961: ''A Taste of Honey'' as The Boy (Broadway) * 1962: ''The Blacks'' as Village * 1963: ''Tiger, Tiger'' as Dewey Chipley (Broadway) * 1963: ''Ballad for Bimshire'' as Dennis Thornton (Broadway) * 1963: ''Arturo Ui'' as Jim Crockett (Broadway) * 1963: ''The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Any More'' as Stage Assistant https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/02/archives/theater-a-play-returns-revised-milk-train-by-williams-opens.html#:~:text=Milk%20Train%20Doesn't%20Stop%20Here%20Anymore%2C%20The%2C%20by%20T%20Williams%20(revised%20version)&text=Bobby%20Dean%20Hooks%20and%20Konrad%20Matthaei%20are%20graceful%20as%20stage%20assistants%20in * 1964: ''Dutchman'' as Clay * 1965: ''Henry V'' as Henry V * 1965: ''Day of Absence'' * 1966: ''Where's Daddy'' as Razz (Broadway) * 1966: ''The Airborne Symphony'' as Narrator https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/search?search-type=singleFilter&search-text=*&doctype=program&npp:ComposerWorksTitle_facet Blitzstein%2C++Marc+%2F+AIRBORNE+SYMPHONY%2C+THE * 1967: ''Hallelujah Baby!'' as Clem (Broadway) * 1968: ''Kongi’s Harvest'' as Daoudu * 1973: ''The Blacks'' as Village * 1975: ''Jesus Christ Super Star'' as Judas * 1975: ''Ceremonies in Dark Old Men'' as Blue Haven * 1979: ''Splendid Mummer'' as Ira Aldredge https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/70378581.pdf * 1981: ''Voices of Our People'' - Ensemble Piece * 1982 ''A Soldier’s Play'' as Captain Richard Davenport

Theatre - Producer/Director

* 1965: ''We Real Cool'' * 1965: ''Happy Ending'' and ''Day of Absence'' * 1968: ''Walk Together Children'' * 1967: ''Song of the Lusitanian Bogey'' * 1967: ''Kongi's Harvest'' * 1967: ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' * 1967: ''Daddy Goodness'' * 1968: ''God Is a (Guess What?)'' * 1968: ''Ceremonies in Dark Old Men'' * 1968: ''The Great MacDaddy'' * 1968: ''String'' * 1968: ''Contribution'' * 1968: ''Malcochon'' * 1968: ''Man Better Man'' * 1969: ''The Reckoning: A Surreal Southern Fable'' * 1969: ''Ceremonies in Dark Old Men'' * 1969: ''The Harangues'' * 1969: ''Brotherhood'' * 1969: ''Day of Absence'' * 1970: ''Ododo'' * 1970: ''Perry's Mission'' * 1970: ''Rosalie Pritchett'' https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/NEC.pdf * 1970: ''The Dream on Monkey Mountain'' * 1970: ''Ride a Black Horse'' * 1970: ''Negro Ensemble Company Broadway Benefit'' * 1970: ''D.C. Black Repertory Company'' –Producer/Founder * 1973: ''The Blacks'' * 1974: ''Owen’s Song'' * 1981: ''Voices of Our People'' https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/robert-hooks-4 * 1982: ''A Soldier’s Play'' * 1984: ''Ceremonies in Dark Old Men'' https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/NEC.pdf

Film

* 1967: '' Sweet Love, Bitter'' as Keel Robinson * 1967: '' Hurry Sundown'' as Reeve Scott * 1970: ''

Last of the Mobile Hot Shots ''Last of the Mobile Hot Shots'' is a 1970 American drama film. The screenplay by Gore Vidal is based on the Tennessee Williams play '' The Seven Descents of Myrtle'', which opened on Broadway in March 1968 and ran for 29 performances. Sidney Lu ...

'' "Chicken" * 1970: ''

Carter's Army ''Carter's Army'' is a 1970 American made-for-television war drama film starring a host of prominent African-American film actors, including Richard Pryor, Rosey Grier, Robert Hooks, Billy Dee Williams and Moses Gunn. The film originally aired ...

'' as Lieutenant Edward Wallace * 1972: '' Trouble Man'' as "Mr. T" * 1975: '' Aaron Loves Angela'' as Beau * 1977: ''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars an ensemble cast of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Br ...

'' as Eddie * 1982: ''

Fast-Walking ''Fast-Walking'' is a 1982 American prison drama film directed, produced, and written by James B. Harris, based on Ernest Brawley's 1974 novel ''The Rap''. The film stars James Woods, Tim McIntire, Kay Lenz, Robert Hooks, and M. Emmet Walsh. ...

'' as William Galliot * 1984: '' Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' as Admiral Morrow * 1992: ''

Passenger 57 ''Passenger 57'' is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Kevin Hooks. The film stars Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne, with Snipes portraying a security consultant who finds himself forced to foil a plot to free a captive terrorist durin ...

'' as FBI Agent Dwight Henderson * 1993: ''

Posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

'' as David "King David" Lee * 1996: ''

Fled ''Fled'' is a 1996 American Buddy film, buddy action comedy film directed by Kevin Hooks. It stars Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin as two prisoners chained together who flee during an escape attempt gone bad. Plot An interrogator prepa ...

'' as Lieutenant Henry Clark

Television

* 1967–1969: '' N.Y.P.D.'' as Detective Jeff Ward * 1969–1974: '' The F.B.I.'' as Wilcox / Steven Harber * 1969: ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' as Floyd Brown * 1969: ''

Then Came Bronson ''Then Came Bronson'' is an American adventure/drama television series starring Michael Parks that aired on NBC. It was created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, and produced by MGM Television. ''Then Came Bronson'' began with a television film pilot t ...

'' as Henry Tate * 1970: ''

The Bold Ones ''The Bold Ones'' is the umbrella title for several television series. It was produced by Universal Television and broadcast on NBC from 1969 to 1973. It was a wheel series, wheel format series, an NBC programming approach also used by that net ...

'' as Scott Dayton * 1971: ''

The Man and the City ''The Man and the City'' is an American drama series which aired on ABC as part of its Fall 1971 lineup from September 15, 1971 to January 5, 1972. Anthony Quinn starred as Thomas Jefferson Alcala, the long-term Hispanic mayor of a major but u ...

'' * 1973: ''

The Rookies ''The Rookies'' is an American police procedural series created by Rita Lakin that originally aired on ABC from September 11, 1972, to March 30, 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for ...

'' as Barney Miller * 1973: ''

McMillan and Wife ''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976 to 1977) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, ...

'' as Sam * 1974: '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'' as Joe Lucas * 1974: ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ow ...

'' as Joe Joplin * 1975: '' Police Story'' as Detective Ernie Tillis * 1975: ''

Petrocelli ''Petrocelli'' is an American legal drama that ran for two seasons on NBC from September 11, 1974, to March 31, 1976. Plot Tony Petrocelli is an Italian-American, Harvard-educated lawyer, who grew up in South Boston and gave up the big money an ...

'' as Dave Hill * 1976: '' Just an Old Sweet Song (1976 Film)'' (television Movie) as Nate Simmons * 1979: ''

Backstairs at the White House ''Backstairs at the White House'' is a 1979 NBC television miniseries based on the 1961 book '' My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House'' by Lillian Rogers Parks (with Frances Spatz Leighton). The series, produced by Ed Friendly Producti ...

'' (television mini-series) as John Mays, Doorman * 1979: '' Trapper John, M.D.'' as Sykes * 1980: '' The Facts of Life'' as Mr. Ramsey * 1980: '' The White Shadow'' as Dr. Luther Tucker * 1983: ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...

'' as Prosecutor * 1983–1988: ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' as Joe Durran / Frank "Squire" Vance * 1983: ''

T. J. Hooker ''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network unt ...

'' as Police Lieutenant Peter Ellis * 1984: ''

'' as Dr. Walcott * 1985: '' V'' as George Caniff * 1986: ''

227 (TV series) ''227'' is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series, created by C.J. Banks and Bill Boulware, stars Marla Gibbs as Mary Jenkins, a sharp-tongued, city resident gossip ...

'' as Congressman Rivers * 1986–1995: ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' as Kendall Ames / Everett Charles Jensen * 1989: ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'' as Phillip Dalton * 1992: '' Out All Night'' as Cliff Emory * 1993 ''

Reasonable Doubts ''Reasonable Doubts'' is an American police drama television series created by Robert Singer, which broadcast in the United States by NBC that ran from September 26, 1991, to April 27, 1993. Synopsis ''Reasonable Doubts'' is primarily about ...

'' as Kane * 1993: ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' as Judge Earl Gregory * 1993: ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

'' as Dean Morgan * 1993: ''

The Sinbad Show ''The Sinbad Show'' is an American television sitcom starring comedian Sinbad (comedian), David "Sinbad" Adkins that premiered on September 16, 1993, on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The show's main plot is about a bachelor taking in two orphan ...

'' as Mr. Winters * 1994–1995: ''

M.A.N.T.I.S. ''M.A.N.T.I.S.'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero television series that aired for one season on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Network between August 26, 1994, and March 3, 1995, with its final two episodes airing on Syfy, Sci-Fi C ...

'' as Mayor Lew Mitchell * 1994: ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for eight seasons from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, then moved to CBS for its ninth and final season from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-of ...

'' as Dr. Smiley * 1994–1995: ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...

'' as Joe Temple * 1995: ''

The Commish ''The Commish'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC in the United States from September 28, 1991, to January 11, 1996. The series focuses on the work and home life of a suburban police commissioner in fictional Eastb ...

'' as Captain M.A. Daniels * 1996: ''

Diagnosis Murder ''Diagnosis: Murder'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery medical drama, medical crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son Steve, a homicide detective ...

'' as City Attorney Andrew Chivers * 1997: ''

The Parent 'Hood ''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of t ...

'' as Lawrence * 1999: ''

Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone, and was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert Lawrence. The film is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 no ...

'' as Benjamin Davenport * 1999: ''

The Hoop Life ''The Hoop Life'' is an American drama television series depicting the lives of a team of basketball players in the fictional UBA (United Basketball Association) that aired on Showtime from July 4, 1999 until March 19, 2000. starring Rick Peters ...

'' (television movie) as Joe Sherman * 2000: ''

'' (television movie) as Grandpa Gene Donovan

References

External links

* * * * DCN Presents: The Robert Hooks Stor
DCN Presents: The Robert Hooks Story - YouTube
* Icon: All hail actor and cultural architect Robert Hook
Icon: All hail actor and cultural architect Robert Hooks
* Robert Hooks – I For Colo
Robert Hooks
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooks, Robert 1937 births Living people 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American activists American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors American theatre managers and producers Male actors from Washington, D.C. West Philadelphia High School alumni