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Birth
Hines was born in New York City -
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Began Tapping
Hines began tapping at the age of two and by the age of five he began dancing semi-professional. -
Broadway
Hines made his Broadway debut with his brother in The Girl in Pink Tights -
Early On
Hines began dancing with his brother and they were known as the Hines Kids, then became The Hines Brothers, then finally Hines, Hines, and Dad. -
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Lead Singer
Hines performed as the lead singer and musician in a rock band called Severance in the year of 1975-1976 based in Venice, California. -
Sang with Luther Vandross
he sang a duet with Luther Vandross, entitled "There's Nothing Better Than Love", which reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard R&B charts -
National Tap Dance Day
he successfully petitioned the creation of National Tap Dance Day, which is now celebrated in 40 cities in the United States. It is also celebrated in eight other nations. Gregory Hines was on the Board of Directors of Manhattan Tap, he was a member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble, and a member of the American Tap Foundation -
Dance in America
Gregory Hines created "Gregory Hines' Tap Dance in America, -
Sammy Davis Dies
Hines visited with his idol, Sammy Davis, Jr., as he was dying of throat cancer, unable to speak. After Davis died, an emotional Hines spoke at Davis's funeral of how Sammy had made a gesture to him, "as if passing a basketball … and I caught it." Hines spoke of the honor that Sammy thought that Hines could carry on from where he left off -
Had his own show
On television, he starred in his own series in 1997 called The Gregory Hines Show on CBS -
Lifetime Achievement Award
Flo-Bert Award—Lifetime Achievement in Tap Dance by the New York Committee To Celebrate National Tap Dance Day -
Image Award
Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special—Bojangles -
Death
Hines died of liver cancer on August 9, 2003, en route to hospital from his home in Los Angeles. He had been diagnosed with the disease more than a year earlier but had informed only his closest friends. At the time of his death, production of the television show Little Bill was ending -
Won an Emmy
Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program —Little Bill
