Gregory Hines
He revolutionized tap dancing, infusing a classic American art form with a fierce, improvisational, and wholly modern rhythm.
1946–2003 (age 57)·American dancer, actor, and singer·Birthday: February 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gregory Hines was born into tap. He and his older brother Maurice were child stars, dancing in nightclubs and on stages as 'The Hines Kids,' guided by their demanding father. But as he grew up, the art form he loved was fading into nostalgia. Hines, with his jazz musician's soul, refused to let it. He dragged tap into the contemporary world, trading polished routines for complex, spontaneous conversations with the floor. His style was loose, muscular, and deeply musical, often performing with live jazz ensembles where his taps were another instrument. This renaissance led him to Broadway, where he won a Tony, and to Hollywood, where he brought his charismatic intensity to films like 'The Cotton Club' and 'White Nights.' More than a performer, Hines was a evangelist for tap's legacy and its future, mentoring a new generation and ensuring the art form's heartbeat never slowed.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gregory was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gregory Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Gregory's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2003Died at 57
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Key Achievements
- Won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in 'Jelly's Last Jam.'
- Starred in and choreographed the film 'Tap,' a celebration of the art form featuring legendary dancers.
- Headlined his own CBS television sitcom, 'The Gregory Hines Show,' in the late 1990s.
- Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to live theatre.
Did You Know?
He was an avid video game player and was featured in commercials for Sega Genesis.
He performed a tap dance routine on an episode of 'Sesame Street' with a penguin named Savion.
He briefly pursued a solo singing career, releasing an album in 1988.
He taught himself to play the drums as a child and often incorporated percussion into his dance.
“Tap dancing is a celebration of life. It's a way of expressing joy, sorrow, anger, love—every human emotion.”
