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Gregory Hines

Date of Death: August 09, 2003 (57)

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BIO

Gregory Hines was a jazz tap dancer, singer, actor, musician and choreographer as well as an avid improviser of tap steps, tap sounds, and tap rhythms alike. His improvisation was like that of a drummer, doing a solo and coming up with rhythms. He also improvised the phrasing of a number of tap steps, mainly based on sound produced.



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 Jelly's Last Jam (1992) and the Theatre World Award for Eubie!. Hines co-hosted the Tony Awards ceremony in 1995 and 2002.

In 1981, Hines made his movie debut in Mel Brooks's History of the World, Part I. He had a large role in The Cotton Club (1984), where he and his brother Maurice (in Maurice's sole film credit) played a 1930s tap-dancing duo reminiscent of the Nicholas Brothers.

Hines co-starred with Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1985 film White Nights, and co-starred with Billy Crystal in the 1986 buddy cop film Running Scared. He starred in the 1989 film Tap opposite Sammy Davis Jr. (in Davis's last screen performance). He appeared alongside Whitney Houston and Loretta Devine in the highly successful 1995 film Waiting to Exhale and opposite Houston, Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance the following year in The Preacher's Wife. On television, he starred in his own sitcom in 1997, The Gregory Hines Show, which ran for one season on CBS, and had a recurring role of Ben Doucette on Will & Grace.

Hines died of liver cancer on August 9, 2003.

STAGE CREDITS

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1992
Jelly Roll Morton

[Off-Broadway]
1989
Feste

[US Tour]
National Tour, 1982
Featured Performer

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1981
Featured Performer

Performer

[Off-Broadway]
Off-Broadway Production, 1980
Performer

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1979
Scrooge

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1978
Performer

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1954
Shoe Shine Boy

Shoe Shine Boy

Productions

 
[Broadway, 1992]
Choreographer
 
[Off-Broadway, 1980]
Choreographer
Choreographer

Awards and Nominations

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 1993 - Best Actor - Musical

Gregory Hines - , Jelly's Last Jam


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 1993 - Best Choreography

Gregory Hines, Jelly's Last Jam


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1992 - Outstanding Actor - Musical

Gregory Hines, Jelly's Last Jam


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1992 - Outstanding Choreography

Gregory Hines, Jelly's Last Jam

Tony Awards - 1992 - Best Choreography

Gregory Hines, Jelly's Last Jam


winner
Tony Awards - 1992 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Gregory Hines, Jelly's Last Jam

Tony Awards - 1981 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Gregory Hines, Sophisticated Ladies

Tony Awards - 1980 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Gregory Hines , Comin' Uptown


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 1979 - Best New Talent

Gregory Hines, Eubie!


winner
Theatre World Awards - 1979 - Performance

Gregory Hines, Eubie!

Tony Awards - 1979 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Gregory Hines , Eubie!

News


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VJM: Thank you both for giving of your time to answer my questions.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of two Choreographers being hired for the same Broadway show, not even a revival, that I can think of.  How did that come about for both of you? Ellenore Scott:  Funny Girl was my Broadway debut as a choreographer. I was so happy when I got a call from Michael Mayer (the director) asking me to work on this revival with him. He knew I was NOT a tap dancer and was aware of the multiple tap routines in the show and asked if I would be down to share the billing with Ayodele Casel. Ayo is an extraordinary artist so I was thrilled to be by her side as she made her Broadway debut as well. Michael first met me initially at Head Over Heels on Broadway where I was an associate choreographer to Spencer Liff. In 2019, he asked if I would choreograph the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors and we opened the show October 17th, 2019. I have loved working with Michael and feel as though he keeps his people close and I’m grateful he thought of me for this historic revival. Ayodele Casel:  I met Michael Mayer in 2016 when he directed a New York City Center Encores! show I performed in.  Later that fall he invited me to perform that piece in a Broadway for Hillary fundraiser he was also directing. We'd kept in touch over the years and in 2019, after seeing a show I’d premiered at The Joyce Theater, he asked if I would be interested in providing the Tap choreography for a revival he was working on. Like Ellenore shared, Michael wanted to work with us both to deliver the full choreographic vision of the show. I believe it was a very progressive vision on his part and I’m really thankful that I was able to make my Broadway debut with this team.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Gregory Hines been in?

Gregory Hines has appeared on Broadway in 5 shows.

How many West End shows has Gregory Hines been in?

Gregory Hines has not appeared in the West End

What awards has Gregory Hines been nominated for?

Gregory Hines has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his nominations include Best Actor - Musical and Best Choreography at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Jelly's Last Jam," Outstanding Actor - Musical and Outstanding Choreography at the Drama Desk Awards for "Jelly's Last Jam," Best Choreography and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Jelly's Last Jam," Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Sophisticated Ladies" and "Comin' Uptown," Best New Talent at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Eubie!," Performance at the Theatre World Awards for "Eubie!," and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Eubie!".

What awards has Gregory Hines won?

Gregory Hines has won several awards for his work in Broadway shows. He received the Best Choreography award from the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Jelly's Last Jam." He also won the Outstanding Actor - Musical award and the Outstanding Choreography award from the Drama Desk Awards for the same show. Hines further received the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical award at the Tony Awards for his performance in "Jelly's Last Jam." Additionally, he was honored with the Best New Talent award from the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Eubie!" and received a Performance award from the Theatre World Awards for the same show.

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