Gregory Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was a Tony Award-winning American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer.

Born Gregory Oliver Hines in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang. Together with their father the three were known as "The Hines Kids" and later as "The Hines Brothers" only to have the name change again in 1963 to "Hines, Hines and Dad".

Hines performed as the lead singer and musician in a rock band called Severance in 1975/1976 based in Venice, California. Severance was one of the house bands at an original music club called Honky Hoagies Handy Hangout, otherwise known as the 4H Club.

Hines appeared in such movies as The Cotton Club, White Nights, Running Scared, and Tap. On television, he starred in his own series in 1997 called The Gregory Hines Show, as well as in the recurring role of Ben Doucette on Will & Grace.

Hines made his Broadway debut with his brother in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954. He earned Tony Award nominations for Eubie!, Comin' Uptown and Sophisticated Ladies, and won a Tony and Drama Desk Award for the revue Jelly's Last Jam and a Theatre World Award for Eubie!.

In 1990, Hines visited with his idol, Sammy Davis, Jr., as the great entertainer lay dying of throat cancer, unable to speak. After Davis died, a choked-up Hines spoke at Davis's funeral of how Sammy had made a gesture to him, "as if passing a basketball … and I caught it." Hines spoke of the honor that Sammy thought that Hines could carry on from where he left off.

Hines died of liver cancer in Los Angeles, California. He was engaged to bodybuilder Negrita Jayde at the time of his death.

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

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

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.

Has two children: Daria Hines, born in 1971 and Zachary, born in 1983. Also has a stepdaughter, Jessica.

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".

He and Maurice Hines were cast as brothers in Francis Ford Coppola's Cotton Club, The (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.

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

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

Had his professional debut when only 5 years old.

His mother's name is Alma.

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

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 "Ghostbusters"

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 (I) 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) (TV); ; and as Best Actor (Musical), in 1980 for "Comin' Uptown" and in 1981 for "Sophisticated Ladies."

"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.

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

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.