Gregory Hines was
born on Feb. 14, 1946, in Manhattan but moved to Brooklyn to live with his Grandma Lawless at 263 Nostrand Ave., a short distance from Brooklyn College, after his parents separated. Hines was born into a show business family. His father, Maurice, was a drummer with the Dick Vance Orchestra, playing gigs at the famous Savoy Ballroom. When he didn’t play with the band, he worked as a nightclub bouncer.
Hines started performing at the age of 5. He teamed up with his brother Maurice and they traveled extensively. Later, he toured with his brother and father in the nightclub act “Hines, Hines and Dad.”
He appeared on Broadway in Sophisticated Lady, which earned him a Tony nomination. He also starred in such films as The Cotton Club, The History of the World, White Nights, Running Scared, Waiting to Exhale and Tap.
A pair of Hines’ tap dancing shoes hang alongside those of Fred Astaire on the Dancing Wall of Fame at the famed Roseland Ballroom.
Gregory Hines died of liver cancer on Aug. 9, 2003 at the age of 57.
This article was written by Vernon Parker (1923-2004)
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