Gregory Hines
 |
Gregory Hines |
Gregory Oliver Hines (
February 14,
1946 â€"
August 9,
2003) was an
American actor,
singer, and
dancer, regarded by many as the greatest
tap dancer of his generation, and one who transcended the stage.
Born in
New York City, Hines learned tap dancing as a toddler from his older brother Maurice. When Hines was five years old, he and his brother began dancing professionally, most notably at the
Apollo Theater, in
Harlem.
Hines appeared in such movies as
The Cotton Club,
White Nights,
Running Scared, and
Tap. On television, he starred in his own series in
1997 called
The Gregory Hines Show, as well as in a recurring role as
Ben Doucette on
Will & Grace.
He earned
Tony Award nominations for
Eubie,
Comin' Uptown and
Sophisticated Ladies. Hines won a
1992 Tony for the musical
Jelly's Last Jam. He also sang a memorable duet with the late
Luther Vandross titled "There's Nothing Better Than Love" in
1986.
Hines died of
liver cancer at the age of 57 in
Los Angeles, California. At the time of his death, he was engaged to bodybuilder
Negrita Jayde.
In
1990, Hines was with an idol of his,
Sammy Davis, Jr., as the great entertainer lay dying of throat cancer, unable to speak. After Davis died, a choked-up Hines told the press of how Sammy had made a gesture to him, "as if passing a basketball … and I caught it." It is not known if Hines was able to pass the ball on to anyone, though some people consider
Savion Glover, who studied under Hines, may be a suitable contender.
History of the World: Part I (
1981)
Wolfen (
1981)
Deal of the Century (
1983)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (
1984) (Cameo)
The Cotton Club (
1984)
White Nights (
1985)
Running Scared (
1986)
Off Limits (
1988)
Tap (
1989)
Eve of Destruction (film) (
1991)
A Rage in Harlem (
1991)
Kangaroo Court (
1994) (short subject)
Renaissance Man (
1994)
Waiting to Exhale (
1995)
Good Luck (
1996)
Mad Dog Time (
1996)
The Preacher's Wife (
1996)
Subway Stories: Tales From the Underground (
1997)
The Tic Code (
1999)
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (
2000)
Once in the Life (
2000)
Walter and Henry (
2001)
Venice: Lost and Found (
2002) (documentary)
The Root (
2003)
Keeping Time: The Life, Music & Photography of Milt Hinton (
2004) (documentary)
*
*"
Tapping into history."
Deborah Jowitt, Village Voice. August, 2003.
