Maurice Hines

Maurice Robert Hines Jr. (December 13, 1943 – December 29, 2023) was an American actor, director, singer, and choreographer born in New York City to Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines Sr., himself a dancer, musician, and actor. The older brother of dancer Gregory Hines, Maurice began studying tap dance at age five at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his abilities early and choreographed numbers for Maurice and his younger brother Gregory, modeling their work on the Nicholas Brothers.

Hines made his Broadway debut in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954, launching a stage career that would span nearly five decades. In the years following that debut, the brothers toured as an opening act for headliners including Lionel Hampton and Gypsy Rose Lee. Their father eventually joined them, and the trio performed as "Hines, Hines & Dad" in New York, Las Vegas, and throughout Europe, with television appearances on The Pearl Bailey Show, The Hollywood Palace, and The Tonight Show.

Pursuing a solo path, Hines was cast as Nathan Detroit in the national tour of Guys and Dolls before returning to Broadway in Eubie! in 1978. He continued accumulating Broadway credits through the following years, appearing in both Bring Back Birdie and Sophisticated Ladies in 1981. His most prominent Broadway role came in 1986 when he starred in and choreographed Uptown...It's Hot!, a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He later starred in Jelly's Last Jam, and in 2006 he conceived, choreographed, and directed Hot Feet on Broadway.

Beyond Broadway, Hines directed and choreographed the national tour of Satchmo, a musical biography of Louis Armstrong, and directed, choreographed, and starred in the national tour of Harlem Suite alongside successive leading ladies Jennifer Holliday, Stephanie Mills, and Melba Moore. He also directed and choreographed Havana Night in Cuba, an all-Latino production of The Red Shoes in the Dominican Republic, and created the revue Broadway Soul Jam to inaugurate an entertainment complex in the Netherlands. He became the first African American to direct a production at Radio City Music Hall and directed and choreographed music videos, including one for Quincy Jones.

His single feature film credit was a leading role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 film The Cotton Club, in which he and his brother Gregory portrayed the "Williams Brothers," a tap-dancing duo reminiscent of the Nicholas Brothers. He also appeared in the 2007 production Oops, Ups & Downs: The Murder Mystery of Humpty Dumpty. On television, his credits include Eubie!, Love, Sidney, and Cosby.

Hines conceived and directed Ella, First Lady of Song, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald — for whom he and Gregory had once opened in Las Vegas — originally commissioned by Arena Stage in 2004. Written by Lee Summers and starring Freda Payne, the production underwent developmental tryouts at the Crossroads Theatre, Metro Stage Theatre in Washington, D.C., and the Delaware Theatre Company in 2018. He also conceived, directed, and choreographed Yo Alice, an urban hip-hop fantasy written by Lee Summers, staged for a workshop in 2000 and a reading in 2007 at the Triad Theatre.

In May 2013, Hines performed Tappin' Thru Life: An Evening with Maurice Hines at the Cutler Majestic Theatre as a tribute to his late brother Gregory. The production traveled to Boston and the Manhattan club 54 Below before opening for a six-week run at Arena Stage in November 2013. In April and May 2010, he had played the lead role in Arena Stage's production of Sophisticated Ladies at Washington, D.C.'s historic Lincoln Theatre. His discography includes I've Never Been in Love Before (Arbors, 2001) and To Nat King Cole With Love (Arbors, 2006).

In 2019, director John Carluccio released Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, a biographical documentary featuring appearances by Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington, and Debbie Allen. The film received the Metropolis Grand Jury Prize at the DOC NYC film festival that fall. Hines died in Englewood, New Jersey, on December 29, 2023, at the age of 80.