Tiger Haynes

George "Tiger" Haynes was born on December 13, 1914, in Frederiksted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and relocated to New York as a child. He died on February 14, 1994. An actor in musical theatre, television, and film, Haynes was also a jazz musician and former boxer whose Broadway career spanned from 1956 to 1985.

Before establishing himself in theatre, Haynes performed as a guitarist with The Three Flames, a group he was part of from 1945 to 1956. The Three Flames hosted their own NBC radio program in the mid-1940s and appeared on NBC television in 1949. Sammy Benskin joined the group in 1954.

Haynes entered Broadway through Leonard Sillman's musical revue New Faces of 1956, which marked his mainstream debut on the stage. He went on to appear in The Pajama Game, Fade Out-Fade In, Comin' Uptown, and A Broadway Musical, among other productions. His most prominent stage role came in The Wiz, in which he originated the role of the Tin Man in the original Broadway cast. That same role was later played by Nipsey Russell in the 1978 film adaptation. Haynes was sometimes billed as Colonel Tiger Haynes throughout his career.

Beyond the stage, Haynes made television appearances on The Cosby Show in 1989, In the Heat of the Night in 1989, and Law & Order in 1994. His film work included appearances in All That Jazz in 1979 and Ratboy in 1986.