HINES, HINES AND Dad was comprised of from left: Maurice Hines Jr., Maurice Hines Sr. and Gregory Hines pictured on a television show in 1968. (Photo from TV GUIDE / Courtesy Everett Collection)
The last member of the iconic Hines, Hines and Dad died on December 29, with the death of Maurice Hines.
I wrote about Maurice Hines a couple of years ago, when his documentary titled “Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back” was out and streaming on STARZ and the STARZ App.
Directed by John Carluccio, the documentary is a poignant portrait of the charismatic song-and-dance man Hines, following the dazzling elder showman beginning with his tap-dancing childhood. Maurice and friends—Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington and Debbie Allen—tell tales about his career, including a co-starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club” and his loving yet complex relationship with his superstar brother, the late Gregory Hines. Ever battling the challenges of being a gay, Black man in show business, Maurice shared his story with humor and grace.
Said Carluccio about the documentary at that time. “As an overarching theme, I hope viewers gain a better understanding of the nuances of familial love. I recontextualize archival clips, featuring the celebrated Gregory, so they are now viewed through the lens of the lesser-known brother, Maurice.”
“I’m just thinking,” Maurice Hines says in the film, “my whole life has been in dressing rooms.” He was a Tony-nominated “triple threat” — singer, dancer and actor. Hailed as “a high-energy hoofer with strong views,” the native New Yorker had a remarkable more than seven-decade career in show business before his death.
Beginning at age five, Maurice started tapping and performing with Gregory, and later the brothers performed with their father in the music trio, Hines, Hines and Dad.
When the trio was performing, the two brothers were performing not just because they loved dancing, but to also help put food on the table, according to the documentary. “They danced to support the family,” said Daria Hines, Gregory’s daughter.
Gregory Hines died in 2003, and the United States Postal Service honored him with a Black Heritage stamp in 2019, which paid tribute to his tap-dancing and movie career. One such movie in 1984, “The Cotton Club,” starred both brothers, and after Gregory was cast, he advocated for Maurice to join the cast. Years earlier, Maurice advocated for Gregory to be cast in the Broadway musical “Eubie!”
“We had a brotherly thing, but we were also truthful with each other,” Maurice said. Gregory had admitted on a television program that, “We had a stormy relationship,” even though the documentary never offered a reason for the discord.
The two did reconnect years before Gregory died, and Gregory’s death pained Maurice. “I couldn’t imagine my life without him,” he said.
Director/producer Charles Randolph-Wright once told Maurice, “You don’t own all that you have given society,” after Maurice had grown unsure about his contributions to the arts. Seven decades in an industry that is as rife with racism as when he started could make one feel melancholy, Maurice suggested. “A Black dancer and actor goes through much racism.”
In 2016, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project presented Maurice with the JUBA! Award for Lifetime Achievement at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Arts and presented him at its summer festival – Rhythm World. A press release read: “His life and career of performances, classes and conversations made the world and our community richer. As we raise our glasses in celebration, let us also lift our glasses in remembrance and gratitude.”
Multi-faceted entertainer Debbie Allen, who was featured in the documentary, was one of the first to post heartfelt condolences on social media about Maurice’s death.
She said, “Maurice Hines, I was your first leading lady in a show, ‘Guys and Dolls,’ and I will always treasure our journey together. My tears are for my inability to speak with you or to hold you. I will ALWAYS SPEAK YOUR NAME. See you on the other side.”
Other posts on the “X” app, formerly known as Twitter, also paid tribute.
Quaishaun Colbert posted: “Him and his brother Gregory. Tap masters. They both inspired a generation of young tappers like Savion Glover, of course. Reunited at last.”
And, finally, Christoper A. Daniel said, “Saddened by the news of multi-talented stage & screen legend #MauriceHines joining the ancestors. Nothing short of an example of kindness, humility & excellence personified. #RIP because U have certainly earned it.”
Maurice Hines died at the Actors Fund Home, an assisted living facility in Englewood, New Jersey, according to Jordan Strohl, the home’s executive director.
