Trivia

He and Maurice Hines were cast as brothers in Francis Ford Coppola's Cotton Club (1984), set in the Harlem club where their grandmother had been one of the elite black entertainers performing for a whites-only audience in the twenties and thirties. Coppola encouraged the brothers to improvise so they based one scene on their real-life reunion in "Eubie!" and admitted the tears were real.

Inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2004.

Was the first choice to play the Eddie Murphy role in 48 Heures (1982) but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Cotton Club (1984).

He grew up as a member of "Hines, Hines, and Dad" with his father, Maurice Hines Sr. and brother, Maurice Hines in a tap dancing act.

He had a reunion with brother Maurice Hines when they were both hired for the Broadway musical, "Eubie!" in 1978. It earned him a Tony nomination, as did his role in another musical, "Sophisticated Ladies".

Was aged six when he and brother Maurice Hines performed, as the Hines Kids, at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

Buried in the family plot of Carmela and Michael Truszyk in St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Catholic cemetery in Oakville, Ontario, west of Toronto

Was considered for the part of "Winston Zeddemore" in S.O.S. fantômes (1984).

Appeared with Eubie Blake on a 1979 episode of Saturday Night Live (1975), hosted by Gary Busey. He sang two Eubie Blake songs and danced as well.

Hines made his feature film debut in Mel Brooks' La Folle Histoire du monde (1981). He was a last minute replacement for Richard Pryor, who had to cancel his appearance in the movie due to his freebasing accident.

Pictured on a USA nondenominated "forever" postage stamp in the Black Heritage series, issued 28 January 2019. Price on day of issue was 55¢.

In 1985, Gregory Hines was paired up with Mikhail Baryshnikov, another well-known dancer at the time, in an Academy Award winning Taylor Hackford film called "White Nights".

In the late '60s he decided to try his hand at performing rock 'n' roll music, and writing his own songs.

Father of Daria Hines with Patricia Panella, born in 1971.

"There's nothing better than love" is a duet song he recorded with friend Luther Vandross back in the 80s. Gregory is known for his smooth silky voice and recorded his own self-titled album on Epic/Sony in 1987.

His own stage show has taken him from New York's Bottom Line to spots as far-flung as Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Japan and Monte Carlo.

Won Broadway's 1992 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for "Jelly's Last Jam," for which he also shared a Best Choreographer nomination with Hope Clarke and Ted L. Levy. He was also nominated for Tonys three other times: as Best Actor (Featured Role - Musical) in 1979 for "Eubie!", which he recreated in the television version with the same title, Eubie! (1981); ; and as Best Actor (Musical), in 1980 for "Comin' Uptown" and in 1981 for "Sophisticated Ladies."

Had his professional debut when only 5 years old.

He won a Tony in 1992 for "Jelly's Last Jam".

Sings on the title track, "So Nobody Else Can Hear", of a recording by legendary jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb (Miles Davis' "Kinda Blue"). Bill Cosby and Freddie Hubbard are also on this record.

When he was in his twenties he worked on a farm.

He was the son of Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines. Gregory's father was of African-American background. Gregory's maternal grandparents, Lionel Sidney Lawless and Bernice A. Walker, were from Trinidad and Saint Kitts, respectively. Gregory's mother had Afro-Caribbean, and smaller amounts of Welsh, Portuguese, English, and Irish ancestry.

Hope Clarke, Ted L. Levy and he were awarded the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography in a Musical for "Jelly's Last Jam" on Broadway in New York City.

In 1954 he and brother Maurice Hines they were cast in the Broadway musical "The Girl in the Pink Tights".

He was awarded the 1992 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Actor in a Musical for "Jelly's Last Jam" on Broadway in New York City.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 248-249. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Former stepfather of Jessica Koslow.

Father of Zachary Hines with Pamela Koslow, born in 1983.

His mother's name is Alma.

Has one grandson.

Uncle of Cheryl Davis.