Gregory Hines

Gregory Hines

born on 14/2/1946 in New York City, NY, United States

died on 9/9/2003 in Los Angeles, CA, United States

Gregory Hines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gregory Hines
Birth name Gregory Oliver Hines
Born February 14 1946
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died August 09 2003 (aged 57)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active 1968-2003
Spouse(s) Pamela Koslow (1981-2000)
Patricia Panella (m. 1968)
Tony Awards
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
1992 Jelly's Last Jam

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

Early years

Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang. Together with their father the three were known as "The Hines Kids" and later as "The Hines Brothers" only to have the name change again in 1963 to "Hines, Hines and Dad".

Career

Hines performed as the lead singer and musician in a rock band called Severance in 1975/1976 based in Venice, California. Severance was one of the house bands at an original music club called Honky Hoagies Handy Hangout, otherwise known as the 4H Club. In 1986, he sang a duet with Luther Vandross, entitled "There's Nothing Better Than Love", which reached the #1 position on the Billboard R&B charts.[1]

Hines made his movie debut in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part 1. Critics took note of Hines's comedic charm, and he later appeared in such movies as The Cotton Club, White Nights, Running Scared, Tap, and Waiting to Exhale. On television, he starred in his own series in 1997 called The Gregory Hines Show on CBS, as well as in the recurring role of Ben Doucette on Will & Grace. In 1999, Hines made his return on television with Nick Jr.'s Little Bill, as the voice of Big Bill.

Hines made his Broadway debut with his brother in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954. He earned Tony Award nominations for Eubie! (1979), Comin' Uptown (1980) and Sophisticated Ladies (1981), and won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for the revue Jelly's Last Jam (1992) and the Theatre World Award for Eubie!. He also co-hosted the Tony Awards ceremony in 1995 and 2002.[2]

In 1990, Hines visited with his idol, Sammy Davis Jr., as the great entertainer lay dying of throat cancer, unable to speak. After Davis died, a choked-up Hines spoke at Davis's funeral of how Sammy had made a gesture to him, "as if passing a basketball and I caught it." Hines spoke of the honor that Sammy thought that Hines could carry on from where he left off.[3]

Personal life

Mr. Hines's marriages to Patricia Panella and Pamela Koslow ended in divorce.

Death

Hines died of liver cancer late Saturday, August 9, 2003, on his way to a hospital from his home in Los Angeles, California. He was 57. He was engaged to Negrita Jayde at the time of his death.[4] He had been diagnosed with the disease more than a year earlier, but he had told only his closest friends. In addition to his father and brother, he is survived by his daughter, Daria Hines; a son, Zach; stepdaughter, Jessica Koslow; and a grandson.

Gregory Hines was buried at Saint Volodymyr's Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery in Oakville, Ontario, in Canada.

Awards and nominations

Awards
  • 1979 Theatre World Award - Eubie!
  • 1992 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical - Jelly's Last Jam
  • 1992 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Jelly's Last Jam
  • 1988 Image Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture - Running Scared
  • 1998 Flo-Bert Award - Lifetime Achievement in Tap Dance by the New York Committee To Celebrate National Tap Dance Day
  • 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Little Bill
  • 2002 Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special - Bojangles
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 for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Class - I Love Liberty
  • 1985 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - Motown Returns to the Apollo
  • 1989 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program - 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 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
  • 2002 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special - The Red Sneakers
  • 2002 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - The Red Sneakers

Filmography

  • History of the World, Part I (1981)
  • Wolfen (1981)
  • Deal of the Century (1983)
  • The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
  • The Cotton Club (1984)
  • White Nights (1985)
  • Faerie Tale Theatre: "Puss in Boots" (1985)
  • Running Scared (1986)
  • Off Limits (1988)
  • Tap (1989)
  • Eve of Destruction (1991)
  • White Lie (1991)
  • A Rage in Harlem (1991)
  • Kangaroo Court (1994)
  • Renaissance Man (1994)
  • Dead Air (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)
  • Little Bill (TV) (1999-2003, until his death)
  • Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000)
  • Once in the Life (2000)
  • Will & Grace (TV) (2000)
  • Bojangles (2001)
  • Venice: Lost and Found (2002)
  • The Root (2003)
  • Law & Order: (TV) "Suicide Box" (2003)
  • Keeping Time: The Life, Music & Photography of Milt Hinton (2004)

References

  1. Luther Vandross Chart History
  2. Mervyn Rothstein, The Man in the Dancing Shoes, cigaraficionado, 1992-09-01. URL accessed on 2008-06-09.
  3. Jr. news (1992). Gregory Hines Interview. sammydavis-jr. The Sammy Davis, Jr. Association. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
  4. Jennifer Dunning (11 August 2003). Gregory Hines, Versatile Dancer and Actor, Dies at 57. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.

Milt & Honi - full length 35 mm documentary about Milt Hinton and Charles "Honi" Coles

External links

Dance Portal
  • Gregory Hines at Find A Grave
  • Gregory Hines at the Internet Broadway Database
  • Gregory Hines at the Internet Movie Database
  • Blog of Death obituary
  • Tapping into history Deborah Jowitt, Village Voice. August, 2003.
  • TonyAwards.com Interview with Gregory Hines
This page was last modified 14.04.2010 06:19:42

This article uses material from the article Gregory Hines from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.