Gregory Hines

Gregory Hines was a famous dancer. He loved to tap dance. He made many rhythms with his feet. He started dancing when he was two.

He was also a great actor. He was in many movies. He acted on big stages too. He won many special awards for his work.

Gregory also sang songs. He was in a rock band. He even did voices on TV. He helped children by being a voice on a show.

He worked hard to help tap dance. He helped make a special day for it. Now, many cities celebrate tap dance. It is a big part of his gift to the world.

Gregory Hines was a famous dancer and actor. He was one of the best tap dancers ever. He began dancing when he was only two years old. He grew up in Harlem, New York. He often performed with his brother, Maurice. They were known as The Hines Kids. Later, they became The Hines Brothers. Gregory loved to make up new tap rhythms. His footwork sounded like a drummer playing a solo.

Gregory was also a great actor. He starred in more than 40 films. He appeared in movies like The Cotton Club. He also acted on Broadway stages. He won many big awards, like a Tony Award.

Gregory did many other things too. He was a singer in a rock band. He even used his voice for a cartoon. He voiced Big Bill on the show Little Bill. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for this role.

He worked hard to help tap dance stay popular. He helped create National Tap Dance Day. Now, forty cities in the United States celebrate it. He also helped many other dancers learn the art.

Gregory Hines was a famous American dancer, actor, and singer. He is remembered as one of the most celebrated tap dancers ever. To many, his dancing felt like music. He was an expert at improvisation, which means he made up new steps on the spot. His tapping sounded like a drummer playing a solo. He often wore loose pants and a tight shirt while he worked.

Gregory learned his craft very early in life. He was born in New York City on February 14, 1946. He grew up in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem. He started tap dancing when he was only two years old. By age five, he was already dancing semi-professionally. He performed with his older brother, Maurice. They were known as The Hines Kids and performed in Miami, Florida.

His career moved from the stage to the big screen. He starred in more than 40 films. Some of his famous movies include The Cotton Club and Running Scared. He also acted on Broadway, the famous theater streets of New York. He won a Tony Award for his work in Jelly's Last Jam. He also earned a Drama Desk Award.

Gregory was also a talented singer and voice actor. In 1976, he was in a rock band called Severance. He later sang a duet with Luther Vandross. Their song, "There's Nothing Better Than Love," reached number one on the R&B charts. He also used his voice for children's television. He voiced Big Bill on the show Little Bill. This role won him a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003.

He spent his life helping the art of tap dance grow. He helped create National Tap Dance Day in May 1989. Today, forty cities in the United States celebrate this day. He also worked with groups like the American Tap Dance Foundation. He taught many other dancers, such as Savion Glover. Gregory died of liver cancer on August 9, 2003. In 2019, the United States Postal Service honored him with a special stamp.

Gregory Oliver Hines was a celebrated American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is widely considered one of the most important tap dancers in history. Hines was known for a unique style that blended traditional black rhythmic tap with contemporary influences. He viewed tap dance as a form of percussion, much like a drummer playing a solo. His ability to improvise rhythms and phrasing allowed him to align tap with jazz and postmodern dance. He often performed in loose-fitting pants and a tight shirt to allow for movement.

Hines began his journey in the arts at an incredibly young age. He was born in New York City on February 14, 1946. He grew up in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem. His father, Maurice Robert Hines, was a dancer, musician, and actor. Gregory began tap dancing when he was only two years old. By the age of five, he was already dancing semi-professionally. He performed alongside his older brother, Maurice, as part of an act called The Hines Kids. They traveled to venues in Miami, Florida, to perform with Cab Calloway. Later, the brothers performed as The Hines Brothers. In 1963, their act became Hines, Hines, and Dad when their father joined as a drummer.

As a performer, Hines was a master of improvisation. This means he could create new steps, sounds, and rhythms in the moment. He did not just follow a set pattern of steps. Instead, he used his feet to create a cascade of taps. Historian Sally Sommer described his style as throwing pebbles across a floor. This approach made his dancing feel alive and connected to modern music. He was also a dedicated teacher and mentor. He influenced many famous dancers, including Savion Glover, Dianne Walker, Ted Levy, and Jane Goldberg.

Hines successfully moved from the stage to a massive career in film and television. He starred in more than 40 films throughout his life. His movie debut was in the 1981 film History of the World, Part I. He also appeared in films like The Cotton Club, White Nights, and Running Scared. In the 1989 film Tap, he performed alongside his idol, Sammy Davis Jr. Hines also had a significant presence on television. He starred in his own sitcom, The Gregory Hines Show, on CBS. He also played the character Ben Doucette on the series Will & Grace.

Music was another major part of Hines's professional life. In 1975 and 1976, he was the lead singer and musician for a rock band called Severance. The band played at a club known as the 4H Club in Los Angeles. Hines later found success as a solo singer. In 1986, he sang a duet with Luther Vandross titled "There's Nothing Better Than Love." This song reached the number one position on the Billboard R&B charts. In 1988, he released his self-titled debut album on Epic Records. This album included the single "That Girl Wants to Dance with Me," which reached number six on the R&B charts.

Hines received many prestigious awards for his talent across different fields. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his work in Jelly's Last Jam in 1992. He also earned a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003 for his voice work. He voiced the character Big Bill on the animated children's program Little Bill. This role was one of his final major projects. Throughout his career, he earned nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. His many accolades reflected his skill as an actor, dancer, and singer.

Beyond performing, Hines was a powerful advocate for the art of tap dance. He worked to ensure the tradition would continue for future generations. In 1989, he successfully petitioned for the creation of National Tap Dance Day. This day is celebrated every May in forty cities across the United States and in eight other nations. He served on the boards of organizations like Manhattan Tap and the American Tap Dance Foundation. He also hosted a PBS special called Gregory Hines' Tap Dance in America. In 2019, the United States Postal Service honored his legacy by issuing a postage stamp in the Black Heritage Series. Hines died of liver cancer on August 9, 2003, but his influence on dance remains strong.