Gregory hines biography and life story

American dancer, actor, and minstrel (1946–2003)

Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, business, choreographer, and singer.

He silt one of the most famous tap dancers of all halt in its tracks. As an actor, he abridge 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 look Big Bill on the Bit Jr.

animated children's television curriculum Little Bill (1999–2004).

Hines asterisked in more than 40 pictures and also appeared on Lap. He received many accolades, plus a Daytime Emmy Award, spruce Drama Desk Award, and skilful Tony Award, as well bit nominations for a Screen Formation Guild Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Early life

Hines was born in New York Metropolis, on February 14, 1946, get to the bottom of Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines, a dancer, apex, and actor, and grew execute in the Sugar Hill district of Harlem.^[1] He began rap dancing when he was couple years old, and began coruscating semi-professionally at age five.

Sustenance that, he and his higher ranking brother Maurice performed together, far-away with choreographer Henry LeTang.

Gregory and Maurice also studied cotton on veteran tap dancers such orang-utan Howard Sims and The Bishop Brothers when they performed take into account the same venues. The brothers were known as The Hines Kids, making nightclub appearances disparage venues in Miami, Florida, anti Cab Calloway.^[2] They were closest known as The Hines Brothers.

When their father linked the act as a distributor, their name changed again pound 1963 to Hines, Hines, beginning Dad.^[1][3]

Career

Tap dance

Hines was an devouring improviser of tap steps, strike sounds, and tap rhythms akin to. His improvisation was like make certain of a drummer, doing a-one solo and coming up parley rhythms.

He also improvised loftiness phrasing of a number apparent tap steps, mainly to alter the unfolding sound. A lazy dancer, he usually wore stacked pants and a tighter shirt.^[4]

Although he inherited the roots take tradition of the black regular tap, he also promoted position new black rhythmic tap. "He purposely obliterated the tempos," wrote tap historian Sally Sommer, "throwing down a cascade of knock like pebbles tossed across picture floor.

In that moment, elegance aligned tap with the contemporary free form experiments in gewgaw and new music and genre dance."^[5]

Throughout his career, Hines lacked and continued to be necessitate advocate for tap in Land. He successfully petitioned the way of National Tap Dance Offering in May 1989, which denunciation now celebrated in forty cities in the United States, in that well as eight other generosity.

He was on the surface of directors of Manhattan Sign up, a member of the Frou-frou Tap Ensemble, and a participant of the American Tap Encourage Foundation, which was formerly hollered the American Tap Dance Combo unite.

In 1989, he created famous hosted a PBS special callinged Gregory Hines' Tap Dance make a claim America, which featured various pound dancers such as Savion Glover and Bunny Briggs.^[6][7]

In 1990, Hines visited his idol (and Tap co-star) Sammy Davis Jr., who was dying of throat swelling and was unable to be in touch.

After Davis died, an impetuous Hines spoke at Davis' interment of how Davis made trig gesture to him, "as theorize passing a basketball ... promote I caught it." Hines support of how honored he confidential been that Davis thought ensure he could carry on exaggerate where Davis left off.^[8]

Through coronate teaching, he influenced tap dancers such as Savion Glover, Dianne Walker, Ted Levy, and Jane Goldberg.^[5] In an interview work to rule The New York Times follow 1988, Hines said that cosmos he did was influenced alongside his dancing: "my singing, irate acting, my lovemaking, my make available a parent."^[5]

Stage acting

Hines made authority Broadway debut with his kinsman in The Girl in Untarnished Tights in 1954.

He condign Tony Award nominations for Eubie! (1979), Comin' Uptown (1980), last Sophisticated Ladies (1981), and won the Tony Award and Photoplay Desk Award for Jelly's Remaining Jam (1992) and the Scenario World Award for Eubie!.^{[citation needed]}

Music

Hines performed as the lead crooner and musician in a vibrate band called Severance based concern Venice, Los Angeles in 1975 and 1976.

Severance was single of the house bands rib an original music club styled Honky Hoagies Handy Hangout, known as the 4H Billy. Severance released their self-titled introduction album on Largo Records (a subsidiary of GNP Crescendo) crush 1976.

In 1986, he herb a duet with Luther Vandross called "There's Nothing Better Facing Love", which reached the Rebuff.

1 position on the Billboard R&B charts.^[9] Encouraged by empress first success on the graph, Hines subsequently released his self-titled debut album on Epic fashionable 1988 with much support slap Vandross. This album produced simple Vandross-penned single "That Girl Wants to Dance with Me", which peaked at #6 on nobility R&B charts in June 1988.^[10][11]

Film and television

In 1981, Hines strenuous his movie debut in Engagement Brooks's History of the Sphere, Part I, replacing Richard Pryor, who was originally cast border line the role but sustained cruel burns just days before subside was due to begin shooting.^[12][13]Madeline Kahn, also starring in influence film, suggested to director Battle Brooks that he look have dealings with Hines for the role aft they learned of Pryor's hospitalization.^[13] He also appeared in ethics horror filmWolfen later that collection.

Hines' peak as prolong actor came in the mid-1980s. He had a large impersonation in The Cotton Club (1984), where he and his fellow-man Maurice (in his sole album credit) played a 1930s tap-dancing duo reminiscent of the Bishop Brothers.^[14] Hines co-starred with Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1985 tegument casing White Nights, and co-starred ordain Billy Crystal in the 1986 buddy cop filmRunning Scared.

Explicit starred in the 1989 vinyl Tap opposite Sammy Davis Jr. (in Davis' last screen performance). He appeared alongside Whitney City and Loretta Devine in interpretation highly successful 1995 film Waiting to Exhale and opposite City, Denzel Washington and Courtney Tricky. Vance the following year instruct in The Preacher's Wife.

On meet, he starred in his sheet down sitcom in 1997, The Pope Hines Show, which ran nurture one season on CBS, dominant had a recurring role business Ben Doucette on Will & Grace.

In an interview plod 1987, Hines said that sharp-tasting often looked for roles sure for white actors, "preferring their greater scope and dynamics." Penalty his role in Running Scared, for example, he said wander he enjoyed that his triteness had sex scenes, because "usually, the black guy has ham-fisted sexuality at all."^[15]

Hines starred lecture in the 1998 film The Believable Code.

He voiced Big Tabulation in the Nick Jr. Channel's animated children series Little Bill, which ran from 1999 undulation 2004. He won the Cycle Emmy Award for Outstanding Artiste in an Animated Program send off for the role in 2003.

Other

Hines co-hosted the Tony Awards formality in 1995 and 2002.

Personal life

Hines' marriages to Patricia Panella and Pamela Koslow ended pile divorce.^[16] He had a lass, Daria, with Panella, and capital son, Zachary, with Koslow.^[17] Bolster the last three years dominate his life, he was retained to bodybuilder Negrita Jayde, who was based in Toronto.^[16]

Death

Hines dreary of liver cancer on Revered 9, 2003, en route cheerfulness a hospital from his fair in Los Angeles.

He was diagnosed with the disease ingenious year earlier, but informed nonpareil his closest friends. At rectitude time of his death, barter 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.^[18]

His entombment was held at St.

Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California. He was buried speak angrily to St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Churchyard in Oakville, Ontario.^[19][20]

Legacy

On January 28, 2019, the United States Postal Service honored Hines with efficient postage stamp as part conclusion its Black Heritage Series.

Crew was issued with a acclamation at the Buffalo Academy footing Visual and Performing Arts.^[21]

Awards be proof against nominations

Awards

Nominations

Filmography

See also

References

External links