ACTOR and prominent tap dancer and choreographer Maurice Hines died in December 2023, his friends and family confirmed.
The Tony Award-nominated artist, who starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club, has had an illustrious career in the entertainment industry.
Who was Maurice Hines?
Born on December 23, 1943, in New York City, Maurice Hines was a dancer, choreographer, actor, director, and singer.
He started dancing at the age of five when he enrolled at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan to study tap dance.
Recognized right away for his natural talent, he was trained by LeTang, along with his younger brother, Gregory.
As a duo, they would go on to tour for acts like Lionel Hampton and Gypsy Rose Lee.
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In 1954, Maurice debuted on Broadway for the show The Girl in Pink Tights.
Maurice, Gregory, and their father, Maurice Sr. also performed as a trio as Hines, Hines & Dad and toured Europe, New York, and Las Vegas, as well as appeared in shows like The Hollywood Palace and The Tonight Show.
Maurice eventually launched a solo career, returned to Broadway, and starred in productions of Eubie! and Uptown… It’s Hot!, in which he earned a Tony nomination for Best Actor.
Maurice went on to become an in-demand choreographer and worked on projects like the Louis Armstrong musical biography Satchmo, a music video for Quincy Jones, and the national tour of Harlem Suite.
As a director, he notably spearheaded the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, making him the first black director to stage a production at the Radio City Music Hall.
In 2019, a biography about him, Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, was released, and won the Metropolis Grand Jury Prize at the DOC NYC film festival.
What was Maurice Hines known for?
Maurice Hines mostly worked behind the scenes, but in 1984, he and his brother Gregory starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club along with Richard Gere, Nicolas Cage, and Diane Lane.
The two starred as the tap-dancing Williams Brothers.
He also created, choreographed, and directed the Earth Wind and Fire musical Hot Feet.
“I was so inspired choreographically that it took me places that I never knew I could go,” he told NPR.
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When did Maurice Hines die?
Maurice Hines died on December 29, 2023, at the age of 80.
He died of natural causes at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, where he had been residing for the past few years, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“I will always treasure our journey together,” Emmy Award-winning actor, Debbie Allen, who co-starred with in Guys and Dolls, wrote on Facebook. “I will always speak your name.”
John Carluccio, the director of his biopic, also paid tribute to him on Instagram, saying, “I will deeply miss my charming and lovable friend, who always kept me on my toes.”