What was Gregory Hines's Net Worth?
Gregory Hines was a dancer, actor, singer, choreographer, and director who had a net worth of $4 million at the time of his death in 2006. That's the same as around $7 million in today's dollars.
Gregory Hines was widely considered one of the world's greatest tap dancers. As an actor, he appeared on both screen and stage, with credits including the films "Wolfen," "White Nights," "Running Scared," and "Waiting to Exhale" and the stage musicals "Eubie!," "Comin' Uptown," and "Jelly's Last Jam." He also appeared on the television sitcoms "The Gregory Hines Show" and "Will & Grace" and in such television films as "T Bone N Weasel," "Bojangles," and "The Red Sneakers."
Early Life
Gregory Hines was born on February 14, 1946 in New York City to Alma and Maurice. His father was a dancer, musician, and actor. Growing up in the Sugar Hill district of Harlem, Hines began tap dancing when he was just two years old, and at the age of five turned semi-professional. He went on to perform with his older brother Maurice Jr., with whom he studied under choreographer Henry LeTang. Known as the Hines Kids and then as the Hines Brothers, they danced at nightclubs in Miami, Florida with Cab Calloway. In 1963, after their father joined their act as a drummer, they became known as Hines, Hines, and Dad.
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Film and Television
Hines made his feature film debut in Mel Brooks's 1981 comedy "History of the World, Part I," playing Josephus. Later that year, he appeared in the horror film "Wolfen." Hines next starred alongside Chevy Chase and Sigourney Weaver in William Friedkin's 1983 comedy "Deal of the Century." The following year, he appeared alongside his brother Maurice in Francis Ford Coppola's historical musical drama "The Cotton Club"; they played a 1930s tap-dancing duo redolent of the Nicholas Brothers. In 1985, Hines starred opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov in Taylor Hackford's musical drama "White Nights." That same year, he starred in episodes of the television anthology series "Faerie Tale Theatre" and "Amazing Stories." In 1986, Hines starred opposite Billy Crystal in the buddy cop film "Running Scared." At the end of the decade, he starred opposite Willem Dafoe in the action thriller "Off Limits" and opposite Sammy Davis Jr. in the dance film "Tap." He also hosted the 1989 PBS television special "Gregory Hines' Tap Dance in America."
In the early 1990s, Hines starred in the science-fiction action thriller "Eve of Destruction," the crime film "A Rage in Harlem," and the television film "T Bone N Weasel." He later starred in Penny Marshall's 1994 comedy "Renaissance Man." The year after that, Hines appeared in Forest Whitaker's hit romance film "Waiting to Exhale." He went on to have a big year in 1996, appearing in four films: "Good Luck," "Mad Dog Time," "The Preacher's Wife," and "The Cherokee Kid." In 1997, Hines starred in a segment of the HBO television film "Subway Stories" and began starring on his own sitcom, "The Gregory Hines Show." The show ran for one season on CBS. Closing out the decade, Hines starred as a jazz saxophonist with Tourette syndrome in the film "The Tic Code." He also began playing the recurring role of Ben Doucette on the television sitcom "Will & Grace," and began voicing Big Bill on Bill Cosby's animated show "Little Bill."
In 2000, Hines appeared in the films "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her" and "Once in the Life," and starred opposite James Belushi in the Showtime television film "Who Killed Atlanta's Children?" The following year, he starred in another Showtime television film, "Bojangles," playing the titular legendary entertainer. For his performance, Hines earned Emmy and SAG Award nominations. He earned two more Emmy Award nominations for his 2002 Showtime television film "The Red Sneakers," which he both directed and appeared in. Meanwhile, Hines won his first and only Emmy, for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program, for his late-career work on "Little Bill." His other final acting credits include the short-lived ABC sitcom "Lost at Home" and the 2004 film "Love That Girl, Sally."
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Theater Career
Hines had his breakout role as a stage actor in the revue "Eubie!," which opened on Broadway in 1978. For his work, he won a Theatre World Award and received a Tony Award nomination. Hines earned two more consecutive Tony Award nominations for his leading roles in the musicals "Comin' Uptown" and "Sophisticated Ladies." He finally won the Tony Award in 1992 for his role in the musical "Jelly's Last Jam," in which he starred as legendary pianist Jelly Roll Morton. Hines was also nominated for doing the show's choreography.
Other Endeavors
Among his myriad other endeavors, Hines served as the lead singer of the Los Angeles rock band Severance in the mid-to-late 1970s. In the latter half of the 1980s, he had a Billboard R&B chart hit with the song "There's Nothing Better Than Love," which he sang with Luther Vandross. Hines went on to release his self-titled debut album, which yielded the Vandross-penned hit song "That Girl Wants to Dance with Me." At the end of the 1980s, he successfully petitioned the creation of National Tap Dance Day. Continuing his work in the realm of tap, Hines was a member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble and the American Tap Dance Orchestra, and sat on the board of directors of Manhattan Tap. Elsewhere, he co-hosted the Tony Awards in 1995 and 2002.
Personal Life and Death
Hines married his first wife, Patricia Panella, in 1968. They had a daughter named Daria before divorcing in 1972. Hines went on to wed Pamela Koslow in 1981; they had a son named Zachary, and divorced in 2000. For the final three years of his life, Hines was engaged to Canadian bodybuilder and author Negrita Jayde.
On August 9, 2003, Hines died from liver cancer while traveling to the hospital in Los Angeles. His funeral was held in Santa Monica, and he was buried in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
