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Biography of Gregory Hines

Photograph by Greg Gorman, with permission from the Gregory Hines family and estate.by Constance Valis Hill

Gregory Hines (14 February 1946-9 August 2003), jazz tap dancer, singer, actor, musicians, and creator of improvised tap choreography, was born in New York City, the son of Maurice Hines Sr. and Alma Hines. He began dancing at the age of not-quite-three, turned professional at age five, and for fifteen years performed with his older brother Maurice as The Hines Kids, making nightclub appearances across the country. While Broadway teacher and choreographer Henry LeTang created the team's first tap dance routines, the brothers' absorption of technique came from watching and working with the great black tap masters whenever and wherever they performed at the same theaters. They practically grew up backstage at the Apollo Theatre, where they were witness to the performances and the advice of such tap dance legends as Charles "Honi" Coles, Howard "Sandman" Sims, the Nicholas Brothers, and Teddy Hale

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Hines, Gregory 1946–2003

Dancer, actor

Learned First Tap Steps as a Toddler

Career Sizzled With Broadway Triumphs

Held His Own Opposite Baryshnikov

Won Tony Award

Directed Showtime Film

Selected works

Sources

Gregory Hines appeared in films, on stage, and in nightclubs virtually since he could walk. Although he could carry comedies and dramas and received star billing, Hines was best known for his work as a tap dancer. In fact, he has perhaps done more than any other performer to ensure a bright future for that most American of dance styles. As Sally Sommer noted in Dance Magazine, Hines was “an adamant advocate for the contemporaneity of tap” and wanted “to push tap beyond the expected conventions and cliched images….”

Hines told Dance:“I can’t ever remember not tapping.” He was born in New York City on February 14, 1946, and raised in the middle-class, integrated Washington Heights neighborhood. His father, who sold soda and worked as a nightclub bouncer, was the son of dancer Ora Hines, a showgirl at the

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Gregory Hines in Showtime’s Bojangles

Gregory Hines in Showtime’s Bojangles.
Photo courtesy Showtime

Bojangles

Showtime (SNI) Rating TV14
February 4 and 7, 2001 at 8 P.M., February 19 at 1:35 P.M. EST

Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Gregory Hines has successfully transformed his low-slung hard-hitting style to that of the elegant, up-on-the-toes tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in this made-for-television movie, a Ghandi-like, heroic biography that allows viewers to delve into Robinson’s personality as well as his style.

Hines portrays Robinson as a womanizer, a compulsive, cursing gambler and a generous benefactor who loved ice cream and cigars and reigned as the unofficial mayor of Harlem. A Broadway and film star for almost thirty years, Robinson has been considered an “Uncle Tom” in his renowned features with the curly-haired darling of film, Shirley Temple. He, nevertheless, managed to break the “two-colored rule” by appearing as the only black presence on stage (at least two black entertainers we