Maurice Robert Hines Jr. was born on December 13, 1943, in New York City to a Catholic couple, Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines Sr., a dancer, musician, and actor. Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his younger brother Gregory, patterned on the Nicholas Brothers. Maurice made his Broadway debut in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954. Shortly after, the brothers began touring as the opening act for such headliners as Lionel Hampton and Gypsy Rose Lee. Their father joined them and "Hines, Hines & Dad" performed on a regular basis in New York, Las Vegas, and throughout Europe and on many television shows, including The Pearl Bailey Show, The Hollywood Palace, and The Tonight Show.
He decided to pursue a solo career and was cast as Nathan Detroit in the national tour of Guys and Dolls, after which he returned to Broadway in Eubie! (1978). His additional Broadway credits include Bring Back Birdie and Sophisticated Ladies (both in 1981) as a performer, Uptown... It's Hot! (1986) as a performer (earning a Tony Award nomination as Best Actor in a Musical) and choreographer, and Hot Feet (2006), which he conceived, choreographed, and directed.
Hines co-directed and choreographed the national tour of the Louis Armstrong musical biography Satchmo and directed, choreographed, and starred in the national tour of Harlem Suite with successive leading ladies Jennifer Holliday, Stephanie Mills, and Melba Moore. He directed and choreographed Havana Night in Cuba, an all-Latino production of The Red Shoes in the Dominican Republic, and created the revue Broadway Soul Jam to inaugurate an entertainment complex in the Netherlands.
Hines directed and choreographed music videos, including one for Quincy Jones.
Hines only appeared in one feature film: a leading role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 film The Cotton Club, in which Maurice and his brother Gregory portrayed the "Williams Brothers", a tap-dancing duo reminiscent of the real-life Nicholas Brothers.
Hines played the lead role in Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage production of the Duke Ellington-inspired musical Sophisticated Ladies at the historic Lincoln Theatre in April and May 2010, featuring teenaged tap-dancing brothers John and Leo Manzari. The Washington Post review was positive for his role and the show in general.
Hines conceived, directed, and choreographed Yo Alice, an urban hip-hop fantasy written by Lee Summers and staged for a workshop in 2000 and a reading in 2007 at the Triad Theatre.
In May 2013, he performed a tribute to his late brother Gregory, entitled Tappin' Thru Life: An Evening with Maurice Hines, at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, which was reviewed by The Boston Globe as "a class act by a class act". "Tappin' " went on to Boston and the Manhattan club 54 Below, and opened in November 2013 for a six-week run at the Arena Stage, where The Washington Post wrote, "it's a pleasure to be in the company of a shameless, ebullient vaudeville heart."
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.
Originally commissioned by Arena Stage in 2004, Hines conceived and directed Ella, First Lady of Song, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, for whom he and his late brother Gregory Hines had opened in Las Vegas. The musical stars Rhythm and Blues/Jazz singer Freda Payne, known best for her 1970 hit, Band of Gold and is written by Lee Summers and "Brings The Boys Home". It has had three developmental out-of-town try-outs, which include The Crossroads Theatre and Metro Stage Theatre in Washington, D.C. and most recently, the Delaware Theatre Company in 2018.
In 2019, John Carluccio directed the feature film Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, a biographical documentary about Hines. The film was awarded the Metropolis Grand Jury Prize at the DOC NYC film festival in fall 2019. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film "Digs much deeper than your usual showbiz doc." Joining Hines, the film includes appearances by Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington, and Debbie Allen.
Hines died in Englewood, New Jersey, on December 29, 2023, at the age of 80.
Maurice Hines, Tappin' Thru Life
Maurice Hines, Tappin' Thru Life
Maurice HinesMaurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life
Maurice HinesDuke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies
Maurice HinesDuke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies
Maurice HinesCool Papa's Party
Maurice Hines, Uptown...It's Hot!
Maurice Hines, Eubie!
Maurice Hines has appeared on Broadway in 5 shows.
Maurice Hines has not appeared in the West End.
Maurice Hines has been nominated for several awards throughout his career, including Outstanding Choreographer and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical at The Lortels for "Tappin' Thru Life." He was also nominated for Outstanding Choreography in a Resident Musical and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Resident Musical at the Helen Hayes Awards for "Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life" and "Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies" respectively. Additionally, he received nominations for Outstanding Choreography in a Resident Production for "Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies" and "Cool Papa's Party" at the Helen Hayes Awards. Maurice Hines was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Uptown...It's Hot!" and for Best New Talent at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Eubie!"
Maurice Hines has won the Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production award at the Helen Hayes Awards for "Cool Papa's Party" and the Best New Talent award at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Eubie!".
Maurice Hines has written 3 shows including Uptown...It's Hot! (Conceiver), Hot Feet (Conceiver), Maurice Hines Tappin' Thru Life (Author).
Videos