Broadway Star Maurice Hines Dies at 80
Dancer, choreographer, and actor Maurice Hines passed away on Friday at the age of 80. His death was confirmed by Jordan Strohl, the executive director at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, N.J., where Hines spent his final days.
Hines was often seen alongside his younger brother Gregory Hines during the early part of his career. The siblings famously co-starred in the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola movie, Cotton Club. Gregory Hines passed away in 2003.
Most of Maurice Hines’ work was on the Broadway stage, making his debut in 1954 in the musical The Girl in Pink Tights. He went on to star in productions of Guys and Dolls, Eubie!, and Uptown…It’s Hot!, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for best actor in a musical. Hines was also an in-demand choreographer and director, with credits including the national tour of the Louis Armstrong musical biography Satchmo, and the Earth Wind and Fire musical Hot Feet, which he conceived, choreographed, and directed in 2006.
Hines also made history as the first Black director to stage a production at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Born in New York in 1943, Maurice Hines started tap dancing at the age of five. His passing has led to an outpouring of tributes from colleagues and friends, including Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, and dancer Debbie Allen, who co-starred with Hines in Guys and Dolls. Charles Randolph-Wright, the executive producer of the 2019 documentary Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, also shared remembrances about the artist on social media.
Maurice Hines’ impact on the world of dance and entertainment will be long remembered, with many expressing gratitude for the joy and talent he brought to the stage.