Maurice Hines
Hines in 2023
Background information
Born	(1943-12-13)December 13, 1943 New York City, U.S.
Died	December 29, 2023(2023-12-29) (aged 80) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, director, choreographer, singer
Years active	1954–2023
Labels	Arbors
Website	www.mauricehines.com

Maurice Robert Hines Jr. (December 13, 1943 – December 29, 2023) was an American actor, director, singer, and choreographer.^[1] He was the older brother of dancerGregory Hines.

This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Maurice Robert Hines Jr. was born on December 13, 1943, in New York City to aCatholic couple, Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines Sr., a dancer, musician, and actor.^[2][3] Hines began his career at the age of five, studyingtap dance at theHenry LeTang Dance Studio inManhattan.^[4] LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his younger brotherGregory, patterned on theNicholas Brothers.^[4] Maurice made hisBroadway debut inThe Girl in Pink Tights in 1954.^[5]Shortly after, the brothers began touring as the opening act for such headliners asLionel Hampton andGypsy Rose Lee. Their father joined them as "Hines, Hines & Dad" and performed on a regular basis in New York, Las Vegas, and throughout Europe and on many television shows, includingThe Pearl Bailey Show,The Hollywood Palace, andThe Tonight Show.^{[citation needed]}

He decided to pursue a solo career and was cast asNathan Detroit in the national tour ofGuys and Dolls, after which he returned to Broadway inEubie! (1978). His additional Broadway credits includeBring Back Birdie andSophisticated Ladies (both in 1981) as a performer,Uptown... It's Hot! (1986) as a performer (earning aTony Award nomination as Best Actor in a Musical) and choreographer, andHot Feet (2006), which he conceived, choreographed, and directed.^{[citation needed]}

Hines co-directed and choreographed the national tour of theLouis Armstrong musical biographySatchmo and directed, choreographed, and starred in the national tour ofHarlem Suite with successive leading ladiesJennifer Holliday,Stephanie Mills, andMelba Moore. He directed and choreographedHavana Night in Cuba, an all-Latino production ofThe Red Shoes in the Dominican Republic, and created the revueBroadway Soul Jam to inaugurate an entertainment complex in the Netherlands.^{[citation needed]}

Hines directed and choreographed music videos, including one forQuincy Jones.^{[citation needed]} He was the first African American to direct a production atRadio City Music Hall.^{[citation needed]}

Hines only appeared in one feature film: a leading role inFrancis Ford Coppola's 1984 filmThe Cotton Club, in which Maurice and his brother Gregory portrayed the "Williams Brothers", a tap-dancing duo reminiscent of the real-lifeNicholas Brothers.^[6] Hines also appeared inOops, Ups & Downs: The Murder Mystery of Humpty Dumpty in 2007.^{[citation needed]} On television, he appeared inEubie!,Love, Sidney, andCosby.^{[citation needed]}

Hines played the lead role in Washington, D.C.'sArena Stage production of theDuke Ellington-inspired musicalSophisticated Ladies at the historicLincoln Theatre in April and May 2010, featuring teenaged tap-dancing brothers John and Leo Manzari.^[7] TheWashington Post review was positive for his role and the show in general.^[8]

Hines conceived, directed, and choreographedYo Alice, an urbanhip-hop fantasy written byLee Summers and staged for a workshop in 2000 and a reading in 2007 at the Triad Theatre.^[9]

In May 2013, he performed a tribute to his late brother Gregory, entitled Tappin' Thru Life: An Evening with Maurice Hines, at theCutler Majestic Theatre, which was reviewed byThe Boston Globe as "a class act by a class act".^[10] "Tappin' " went on to Boston and the Manhattan club54 Below, and opened in November 2013 for a six-week run at theArena Stage, whereThe Washington Post wrote, "it's a pleasure to be in the company of a shameless, ebullient vaudeville heart."^[11]

The production again featured the Manzari Brothers, D.C. seventh-graders, and identical twins Max and Sam Heimowitz, who tap-danced on stage with Hines.^[12]

Originally commissioned byArena Stage in 2004, Hines conceived and directedElla, First Lady of Song, a tribute toElla Fitzgerald, for whom he and his late brotherGregory Hines had opened inLas Vegas. The musical was written byLee Summers and starred Rhythm and Blues/Jazz singerFreda Payne, known best for her 1970 hit,Band of Gold^[13] and "Brings The Boys Home".^[14] It has had three developmental out-of-town try-outs, which include The Crossroads Theatre^[15] and Metro Stage Theatre in Washington, D.C.^[16] and most recently, the Delaware Theatre Company in 2018.^[17]

In 2019,John Carluccio directed the feature filmMaurice Hines: Bring Them Back,^[18] a biographical documentary about Hines. The film was awarded the Metropolis Grand Jury Prize at the DOC NYC film festival in fall 2019.^[19]The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film "Digs much deeper than your usual showbiz doc."^[20] Joining Hines, the film included appearances byChita Rivera,Mercedes Ellington, andDebbie Allen.^[21]

Hines died inEnglewood, New Jersey, on December 29, 2023, at the age of 80.^[22]

This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• I've Never Been in Love Before (Arbors, 2001)
• To Nat King Cole With Love (Arbors, 2006)

• Maurice Hines website.
• Maurice Hines interview on "PROFILES" onYouTube.
• Maurice Hines atIMDb
• Maurice Hines at theInternet Broadway Database
• Maurice Hines discography atDiscogs

• 1943 births
• 2023 deaths
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 20th-century American LGBTQ people
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• 21st-century African-American educators
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American educators
• 21st-century American LGBTQ people
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male singers
• 21st-century American singers
• African-American Catholics
• African-American choreographers
• African-American LGBTQ people
• African-American male child actors
• African-American male dancers
• African-American male singers
• American choreographers
• American dance teachers
• American gay actors
• American gay artists
• American gay musicians
• American LGBTQ dancers
• American LGBTQ singers
• American male child actors
• American male dancers
• American male film actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male stage actors
• American tap dancers
• American theatre directors
• Arbors Records artists
• Dancers from New York (state)
• Educators from New York City
• Gay dancers
• Gay singers
• LGBTQ choreographers
• LGBTQ people from New York (state)
• LGBTQ theatre directors
• Male actors from New York City
• Musicians from New York City

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from May 2025
• Articles with hCards
• Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts
• Articles needing additional references from January 2024
• All articles needing additional references
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2024
• IBDB name template using Wikidata