Hines, Gregory (1946–2004)

HINES, GREGORY (1946–2004). Dancer, actor, director. Hines was born in New York City and began dancing professionally at age five with his brother Maurice. He was performing on Broadway by age eight, and his extraordinary feet would light up stages for years to come. He was nominated three years in a row for a Tony Award for Eubie , 1979; Comin’ Uptown , 1980; and Sophisticated Ladies , 1981; and finally won for his performance in Jelly’s Last Jam , 1993. Hines moved easily from the stage to the big screen in a variety of films from comedies, to musicals, to dramas. He often starred in films that highlighted his dancing abilities, such as The Cotton Club , 1984; Tap , 1989; and as his dancing idol Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in the Showtime cable biopic Bojangles , 2001. On television, he performed in his own short-lived CBS sitcom The Gregory Hines Show , 1997–98. As a director, he helmed the independent film Bleeding Hearts , 1994, and made his cable-directing debut with The Red Sneakers , 2001, on Showtime.

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; Running Scared , 1986; Off Limits , 1988; Tap , 1989; Eve of Destruction , 1991; A Rage in Harlem , 1991; Renaissance Man , 1994; Waiting to Exhale , 1995; Mad Dog Time , 1996; The Preacher’s Wife , 1996; Good Luck , 1997; Color of Justice , 1997; The Tic Code , 2000; Once in a Life , 2000; Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her , 2001; Bojangles , 2001.