Hinton Battle
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| Hinton Battle | |
| Born | November 29, 1956 Neubrücke, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany |
| Years active | 1975-present |
| Tony Awards | |
|---|---|
| Featured Actor in a Musical 1981 Sophisticated Ladies Featured Actor in a Musical 1991 Miss Saigon |
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Hinton Battle (b. 29 November 1956) is a German-born American actor, dancer, and dance teacher.
He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical. He was the first to portray the Scarecrow in the stage version of The Wiz in 1975, but Michael Jackson replaced him for the 1978 film.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Battle was born in Neubrücke, Germany (part of the Baumholder Army Military Community) and raised in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Battle's tremendous talent became apparent at the early age of nine. After three years of studying ballet at the Jones & Haywood School of Ballet, he received a scholarship to The School of American Ballet where he studied until the age of fifteen under the legendary George Balanchine. That same year, Hinton made his Broadway debut starring as The Scarecrow in The Wiz.
[edit] Career
He has appeared in fifteen films and television programmes, including Quantum Leap, Dreamgirls, and Touched by an Angel. On Quantum Leap, he played Thames, the evil Observer from the future, in the final installment of the Evil Leaper trilogy of episodes. Battle played the role of the Cat in the first U.S. pilot for Red Dwarf, based on the British show of the same name. Notably, he starred as the Demon Sweet in "Once More, with Feeling," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer's" musical episode that forces the cast to sing.
Hinton’s other Broadway staring roles include Dancin', Dreamgirls, Chicago (Billy Flynn) and Ragtime (Coalhouse Walker Jr.), which garnered rave reviews from the Chicago press and earned him an Ira Aldridge Award. His role in The Tap Dance Kid also earned Hinton the NAACP Award and the Fred Astaire Award.
Hinton’s long list of television credits include: Shine, his one man show presented at the HBO Aspen Comedy Arts Festival; The Kennedy Center’s 25th Anniversary; These Old Broads co-starring Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor; and ABC/Disney’s Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story where Hinton served as choreographer and co-star playing Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson.
As choreographer, Hinton’s work has been seen on Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Musical, These Old Broads, Foreign Student (With Charles Dutton), The Golden Globe Awards, Dance in America; the sitcoms Fired Up, Sister Sister, The Trouble with Normal, and The Boys. Hinton has choreographed promos for Warner Brothers, commercials for Coca-Cola, Chicago The Millie and New York Top Appliances. He served as Associate Choreographer on the 65th and 66th Annual Academy Awards with Debbie Allen.
Off-Broadway Hinton’s talents can be seen in the successful show, Evil Dead: The Musical, where he serves as co-director and choreographer. Having just finished choreographing last season's movie musical Idlewild, this season brings him together with Wynton Marsalis for The Bubby Bolden Story, a feature film about the untold story of the man who created jazz in America. He is currently directing the stage musical Respect, a musical journey of women from the 1900s – 2007. Hinton’s most recent creation, a dance form called Swop that combines swing and hip-hop, was performed on the highly rated Dancing With The Stars in 2006.
[edit] Hinton Battle Theatre Laboratory
Hinton’s accomplishments in theater, along with his countless other opportunities have prepared him to embark upon his new endeavor: founder and artistic director of 'The Hinton Battle Theatre Laboratory (HBTL), whose purpose is to become the leading not-for-profit organization in the identification, development, and production of thought-provoking original theatrical works that engage audiences that are both economically and ethnically diverse. In partnership with the Harlem Commonwealth Council, we are excited to have opened HBTL Youth Academy located in Harlem for talented children 8 – 19. The students will receive classes by professional training in dance, drama, and vocal at zero cost to students.
[edit] Works
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[edit] Awards
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Hinton Battle Theatre Laboratory
- Hinton Battle at the Internet Movie Database
- Hinton Battle at the Internet Broadway Database
- Hinton Battle Downstage Center XM radio interview by the American Theatre Wing, August 2006
- Chats with Hinton (“Idlewild,” “Dreamgirls”) Battle and Boyd (“Angela’s Eyes”) Gaines, Playbill interview, July 2006
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Battle, Hinton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | African-American actor, dancer, and choreographer. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 29, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neubrücke, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
