Sandra
Maurice Hines, who starred with his younger brother, Gregory Hines, in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club, has passed away at the age of 80.
The Broadway dancer, choreographer, and actor died of natural causes at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, N.J. on Friday (Dec. 29), according to his cousin and representative, Richard Nurse, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Hines was nominated for a Tony Award in 1986 for best actor in a musical for Uptown… It’s Hot and was also featured in Broadway’s Hot Feet in 2006. He conceived, directed, and choreographed both productions.
He was born on Dec. 13, 1943, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and studied tap with Henry LeTang in NYC. He made his professional debut at around 6 years old alongside brother Gregory as the tap-dancing Hines Kids in 1954 on Broadway, according to THR.
They later became known as the Hines Brothers and then Hines, Hines & Dad after their father, Maurice Sr., joined in 1963. The trio became regulars at New York’s Apollo Theater and performed in clubs across the U.S. and Europe.
After Gregory went solo in the early 1970s, Maurice joined the national tour of Guys and Dolls and reunited with his brother for Eubie! on Broadway in 1979. He also stepped in for Gregory in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies in 1982.
The 2019 documentary Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back highlights a falling out between the Hines brothers, who didn’t speak for 10 years. The brothers made up before Gregory died of cancer at age 57 in 2003, according to THR.
Maurice is survived by his nephew, Zach, and niece, Daria.
