Maurice Hines, Tap Dancer in ‘The Cotton Club,’ Dies at 80
variety.comPat Saperstein Deputy Editor Maurice Hines, an actor, dancer and choreographer who starred with his brother Gregory Hines in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club,” died Friday.
He was 80. Friends including Debbie Allen and John Manzari reported the news of his death. Hines began studying tap dancing at 5 years old, making his Broadway debut in “The Girl in Pink Tights” in 1954.
With an act modeled after the Nicholas Brothers, Maurice and his older brother Gregory, who died in 2003, began touring with their dancer father as Hines, Hines & Dad, appearing across the country and on several TV shows.
When Maurice Hines decided to go solo, he was cast as Nathan Detroit in a national tour of “Guys and Dolls,” then performed on Broadway in “Eubie!” On “Uptown…It’s Hot!” he worked as choreographer and performer, netting a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical.
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