The actor and dancer Gregory Hines has died of cancer at age 57. His publicist said the actor succumbed to the illness Saturday in Los Angeles. Gregory Hines was a star on the Broadway stage, in movies and on television.
He was known as the greatest tap dancer of his generation, and millions enjoyed his talents through films like Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club, and White Nights, in which he costarred with ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Hines, a native New Yorker, found fame early, performing as a child of five with his brother, Maurice. While in their teens, the two appeared on stage with their father, Maurice Senior, and the brothers later danced together in 1978 musical Eubie! Gregory Hines earned nominations for Broadway's Tony award for that and the later hit Sophisticated Ladies. He won a Tony in 1992 for his starring role in Jelly's Last Jam.
Hines was nominated for several Emmy awards for his television work, once for a dance special on public television and more recently for his starring role in the miniseries Bojangles.
In 1997, he had his own television comedy series called The Gregory Hines Show, and a recurring role on the comedy Will and Grace.
His publicist, Allen Eichhorn, says Hines is survived by his children and a grandson, as well as his father and brother.
