Elmer Mervin Hooks Sr., age 70, of Adrian, died on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 at his home. As of mid-2017, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $5 million, mostly earned through a successful career in film and television. Hooks starred in several made-for-TV movies throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Stage Producer, Birth Location: Washington, District of Columbia, Favorite Vacation Spot: Laguna Beach, California. In 1823 Hooks and his wife relocated to Franklin County, Alabama, where the couple had five sons and three daughters. In fact, I did apply to Temple University and was accepted. Your email address will not be published. Mr. Hooks, 71, is an actor who has appeared in more than three dozen television series, from "Marcus Welby, M.D." to "Seinfeld." Onstage, he starred opposite Leslie Uggams in the Broadway . [citation needed]. From the ages of 6 to 12, Bobby Dean journeyed with his siblings to Lucama, North Carolina to work the tobacco fields for his uncle's sharecropping farm as a way to help earn money for the coming school year in D.C. We wanted to create something that would leave a legacy, which weve done. Im feeling great, Im feeling fantastic. Publicity Listings In 1968 Hooks was the host of the new public affairs television program, Like It Is.[7]. A post shared by Kevin Hooks (@hookshots) on Jun 17, 2018 at 10:20am PDT. He started foraying into directing work in 1991 with the film Strictly Business. He has to like you because you would have been fired in a hot minute for picketing his show. I learned a lot from David Merrick, who was one of the top producers on Broadway at the time, though not the nicest man to other actors. Personal history and early life. Robert Hooks was buried at Beverly National CemeterySection R Site 528 916 Bridgeboro Road - Bridgeboro Road, in Beverly, New Jersey. In Dreamer, Robert Hooks Jr. shares his remarkable story. Veteran actor who had his breakout role as Det. Marital status. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 40s Robert W Hooks II Pascagoula, MS View Full Report Addresses 13th St, Pascagoula, MS Great Oaks Rd, Germantown, TN West Philadelphia High had a wonderful drama club. Has two children with present wife, Cheryl. Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: Black Sexual . His name is Eric Hooks and many of yall may not know him by name, but if you know anything about classic Black films from back in the day, youll probably remember his face. In 2008, he married his bride, Lorrie Marlow, at the age of 70 years young. Now hes doing grandfather roles, for crying out loud! In 1954, just as Brown vs. Board of Education was being implemented in the north, he moved to Philadelphia to be with his mother, her second husband, and his half-sister, Safia Abdullah (ne Sharon Dickerson). I came across material that stated you actually met Malcolm X. He is an actor, known for Trouble Man (1972), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Passenger 57 (1992). Every major Black actor of the time was in that legendary production. Robert Hooks Jr was born on August 24, 1930, and died at age 24 years old on December 26, 1954. 18 July] 1635 - 3 March 1703) was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath. Acting is fine, and the credits are nice and all that, but thats not why Im in this industry. but widely considered[weaselwords] a weakly plotted failure. Washington had to hear it. He directed Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57, Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin in Fled, and also Patrick Swayze in Black Dog. In 1967 came Hallelujah, Baby!, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and got a young Leslie Uggams the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress. They finally ended up taking the play to Edward Albee and his company, Theatre 1964. Name. . He was born April 15, 1954, in Asheboro. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, The 22th Annual Tony Awards 1968 premiere, Famous Faces on "Arthur Hailey's Hotel" (Season One), Actors from the Washington DC (DMV) area In response to a direct plea from an inmate, Rhozier "Roach" Brown, who was serving a life sentence in Lorton, Hooks' D.C. Black Repertory Company structured the first prison-based arts program in the United States. Address: 614 Sheldon Street. 4 Comer Moores Hooks. We were the two characters that were added to the new production of the play that was done the following year; the play had opened in 1963 with a different cast. They were kind of like Kabuki characters, played by me and the fine actor Conrad Mathieu. Ill never forget that. I had written a little acceptance speech, just in case. Published October 17th 2019 by Robert Hooks Jr . Robert Hooks was born on 18 April 1937 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', My street, Newport Place, was one single street wedged between 21st and 22nd, and N and O Streets, in Northwest Washington. We wanted to level the playing field for Black talent on all levels, not just actors or dancers and singers but in administration, producing, designing. Robert Hooks!" Hooks' hardscrabble journey starting in the rat-infested Foggy Bottom of Washington, DC and the indentured summer servitude of Southern tobacco farms has mirrored that of an America that was going through its own seismic shifts. Born: 18-Apr-1937 Birthplace: Washington, DC. Contact Us About The Company Profile For 5969 W 86th Place, LLC. He started acting when he was 10 years old, becoming a part of the acclaimed episode of the CBS Childrens Hour which would win a Peabody Award; the episode was written by Jane Wagner, and entitled J.T. is about a Harlem youth who befriends a sick cat. Robert Hooks. Mobile number (254) 718-9047. Let me ask you three questions together on this one:How did you make this happen? Eric Hooks mostly acted during his childhood years, with one of his most popular roles being in the film, Sounder. In that dramatic 1972 classic, Eric starred alongside his brother, Kevin, as well as Hollywood heavyweights, Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield. | Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and activist. I had personally helped him in doing it. In early 1962 he next appeared as the lead in Jean Genet's The Blacks, replacing James Earl Jones as the male lead, leaving briefly that same year to appear on Broadway again in Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright before stepping back into the lead role in The Blacks in 1963. Robert J Hooks. Its yours. 2017 Theatre Communications Group. That defined it for me.After I saw Raisin in Philadelphia at the Walnut Street Theatre, I just had to go backstage to meet this amazing cast. I went backstage afterwards, and I said, Diahann, how could you do that? She said, Well, you know, Robert Goulet is a friend of mine too.. 3 Peyre Thomas Hooks b: 10 SEP 1873 d: 20 JUN 1919 + Minnie Moore. We would talk presidential politics. It didnt work, it got terrible reviews, but Tennessee Williams said, Look, lets get Tallulah Bankhead to do it. They did it the very next season, which is really rare.Tallulah Bankhead, this wonderfully talented woman, drank a lot, but when she was in action onstage youd never know she was soused! Having trained at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Theatre in Philadelphia, and after seeing A Raisin in the Sun in its Philadelphia tryout in February 1959, Hooks moved to New York to pursue acting. Written by Jane Wagner, it was a Peabody Award winner. 806 Dennis St, Camden, AR, 71701-6154. It was certainly a new life of adjusting for me. We took pictures, and then we went and had food and drinks at our favorite after-show hangout spot, the Orchidia, all on the tab of our producer, Sidney Bernstein.Now here I am sitting across the table from our righteous hero Martin Luther King, apologizing to him for not being with him and the others on the frontlines in the SouthI mean, Im up on the stage acting and having fun in New York. And Ive enjoyed doing things for other people, starting all the way back to the Group Theatre Workshop with those kids I got off the streets of New York when they didnt have any place to go. He has been married to Lorrie Marlow since 15 June 2008. Bob is. Well, the producer let everybody know he was going to do this. I dont know the lines. I read with him, he liked my reading, and he called the theatre immediately. Have your agent call Phil Roses office. Well, guess what! his own property. Im not going to be in some play. She let out this sound; it was almost scary. Dr. Robert D. Hooks, 67, El Paso, and formerly of Hopkinsville, died at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, April 12, 2015, at William Beaumont Army Medical Center of natural . Along with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone, he founded The Negro Ensemble Company. In 1964, you were in Tennessee Williamss The Milk Train Doesnt Stop Here Anymore. Their names are . I had never been on the stage, but we had rehearsed, and thanks to Bernice, I knew what I was doing. The Rev. Tarpley Hooks, Robert Hooks Jr., Michelle Thomas Hooks Spouse Regina Hooks (m. 1978-1984), Cheryl Hooks . Hooks passed down his passion for acting to his sons, Kevin Hooks and Eric Hooks. His television movie credits include Carter's Army (1970), Two for the Money (1972), A Woman Called Moses (1978), Madame X (1981), Words by Heart (1985), Appearances (1990), and Abandoned and Deceived (1995). The Negro Ensemble Company of Los Angeles (19941997) was created because so many New York members and original members had relocated to the West Coast. From 1969 to 1972, Hooks served as an original board member of Black Academy of Arts and Letters, located in New York, alongside C. Eric Lincoln, President; John O. Killens, Alvin F. Poussaint, and Charles White. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. View Profile. T in the 70s film Trouble Man (1972); Grandpa Gene Donovan in the comedy, Seventeen Again (2000); and Fleet Admiral Morrow in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). He also portrayed Doctor Walcott in the 1980s television series, Dynasty.. Immediately thereafter, on March 24, 1964 he originated the role of Clay in Amiri Baraka's Dutchman. Hooks soon joined the drama club and began acting in plays by such authors as William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett. Al did the movie version; he was wonderful in the movie, as was Shirley Knightbut Shirley was no Jennifer West. He was born December 13, 1949 in East Franklin Township to the late Robert M. and Clara "Peg" B. So as you can see, acting was in their blood because they had their Pops set a great example for them. Thanks to the opportunity, he found more avenues to increase his net worth. Kevin Hooks (born September 19, 1958) is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable for his roles in Aaron Loves Angela and Sounder, but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's The White Shadow. You also met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What was your experience like with Dr. King? Hooks attended Stevens Elementary School. In Dreamer, Robert Hooks Jr. shares his remarkable story. Last year, speaking to the Washington Post, 81 year old Robert Hooks, touched briefly on the rise and demise of his company, the DC Black Repertory Company. There has been so much shared about how the Negro Ensemble Company came into existence. And Mr. Rose, I really dont need a script. His name is Eric Hooks and many of yall may not know him by name, but if you know anything about classic Black films from back in the day, youll probably remember his face. All the top-flight Black theatre actors working at the time did The Blacks at one point or another in its historic Off-Broadway run. Hooks moved to New York City in 1959 to become an actor. What was it like creating Clay for the stage? And I admired them both. Eleanor Holmes Norton, September 4, 2018, Vol. He was a retired heavy equipment operator and township supervisor. Robert Hooks talks about his mother's family background, Robert Hooks talks about his father's family background, Robert Hooks describes his earliest childhood memory. What Ive done, the legacy that I leave, is what Ive done for others, what Ive been able to do for other artists in this industry, Black artists in this industry. His relocation to the West Coast redirected Hooks' approach to parity in the arts with his involvement with The Bay Area Multicultural Arts Initiative (1988) as a board member and grant facilitator-judge. Landline number (808) 833-8097. Kevin Hooks was born on 19 September 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA, and is an actor and director, probably best known for his roles in "Sounder" and "Aaron Loves Angela". When you support American Theatre magazine and TCG, you support a long legacy of quality nonprofit arts journalism. Robert Hooks is listed as a Chief Financial Officer with Christian Temple Ministries Inc. in California. From 1978 to 1981, he played Morris Thorpe- the high school basketball player who had a problem with authority, in hit TV show, The White Shadow. For those who arent familiar with The White Shadow, heres a quick rundown: The show was about a former Caucasian Chicago Bull player becoming a high school coach in South Central Los Angeles. Robert Hooks Jr. is the son of Robert Hooks and brother of Kevin Hooks, Eric Hooks and Christopher Carter. But she wasnt. I run into the building. 2000 May 25 declared Robert Hooks Day in Washington, D.C. 2005 Beverly Hills/Hollywood Chapter NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2005 Beverly Hills/Hollywood Chapter NAACP Trailblazer Award to the Negro Ensemble Company, 2005 Trailblazer Award City of Los Angeles, 2006 The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), Lifetime Achievement Award (Dallas), 2007 The Black Theatre Alliance Awards / Lifetime Achievement Award, 2015 Living Legend Award (2015) National Black Theatre Festival. Next, during the first season of the show Lost he directed two episodes entitled White Rabbit and Homecoming, and then became a part of the television remake of the film Sounder, which he directed, following which in 2009, he worked on the film Prison Break: The Final Break. Please join us in this mission by making a donation to our publisher, Theatre Communications Group. Ray Bolger - All-American Professor Fodorski. The auditorium was packed. She didnt ask me, she told me I was going to be in the play. He then became a part of Gordon Parks Jr.s last film Aaron Loves Angela, playing a withdrawn teenager, and partnered with Irene Cara. At one point in my speech, I choose a member of the audience; I always chose to address a woman in the audience. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. [11], In 2021, Emory University began adding to its official archives material documenting Hooks' career, including scripts, printed material, contracts and financial records, notes, correspondence, writings, books and periodicals, audiovisual and digital files. 1750 in Wayne or DuplinCounty, North Carolina.He married Susan Dickson, daughter of MAJOR Robert Dickson.She was born Abt. Hooks, as founder and executive director, asked Denise Nicholas, Denzel Washington, James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Richard Roundtree, Samuel L. Jackson, all alumni from New York Negro Ensemble Company to serve as board members. AKA Robert Dean Hooks. Anyway, I start talking to these guys, and I tell them Im a local actor, and ask them what they thought I should do. Cecelia Ann Hooks Onibudo is the daughter of Robert Hooks and sister of Kevin Hooks and Eric Hooks. I said, You got to be kidding me. I almost fell to the floor in shock. (Greater MD and VA included). At that point, of course, Joseph Papp, the producer of New York Shakespeare Theatre Festival, had seen me do Dutchman and The Blacks. What else could you share about that production that most people do not know? Arthur Laurents was the book writer for the show. Also in 1964, Hooks formed the Group Theater Workshop, offering training in the arts to underprivileged youth. Written in a style that is direct, engaging, and inspiring, Dreamer is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, and a testament to the power of dream .more. Finally it comes down to the Best Actor in a Musical. ', Robert Hooks talks about meeting Whoopi Goldberg when she was young, Robert Hooks talks about playing Henry the Fifth in the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1965, Robert Hooks talks about the Group Theater Workshop performing a showcase based on Gwendolyn Brooks' poem 'We Real Cool', Robert Hooks talks about actress Ellen Holly, Robert Hooks talks about director Joseph Papp, Robert Hooks talks about his busy schedule during the late 1960s, Robert Hooks talks about raising his son Kevin Hooks. Robert Hooks Sr. is charged with. Thats how long ago it was. Relatives. He actively participated in all sports in junior high . Al Freeman Jr. was reading the role of Clay. [2][3] The Negro Ensemble Company is credited with the launch of the careers of many major black artists of all disciplines, while creating a body of performance literature over the last thirty years, providing the backbone of African-American theatrical classics. Hooks directed the following episodes of Prison Break: He directed the film Prison Break: The Final Break (2009) based on the series. She reminded me she was a friend of the Kennedys. Written in a style that is direct, engaging, and inspiring, Dreamer is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, and a testament to the power of dreams. One of my teachers had seen Penzance and decided she wanted to start a drama club at Stevens Elementary School, and she wanted me to be a part of it, which I was happy to say yes to. She has this great voice, a very heavy voice. At any rate, this is a good miniseries with a lot of well-known actors and actresses including Olivia Cole (excellent at Maggie Rogers), Cloris Leachman (as the snarky Mrs. Jaffrey), Louis Gossett, Jr. and Robert Hooks as Levi Mercer and Mays (two good friends of Maggie's) and countless other stars representing the First Families. We were friends with congressmen and congresswomen. In 1965, you played the lead in the New York Shakespeare Theatre Festivals production of Henry V. It was called a triumph by a critic, who said, Robert Hookss King Henry was especially good, combining fiery grace with an almost tragic sensitivity. You were 28 and you were the talk of the town. I didnt have any serious problems with Arthurs take on my character portrayal, because it was understood from the very beginning that it was up to me to do the role as I saw and felt it, and if some dialogue wasnt right, I just said, I cant say that. Burt Shevelove, who directed it, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green and Jule Styne, four of the most heavyweight Broadway musical people ever, were with me all the way. The introduction summarizes the psychological tyranny inflicted on Africans and their descendants over the course of enslavement and Jim Crow. According to New York Times, Robert Hooks is also a founder of the Negro Ensemble Company, a theater group in Manhattan of which he was the executive director from 1965 to 1978. In the interview below, Robert Hooks explained how Sidney Poitier and Douglas Turner Ward, encouraged him to relocate from Philadelphia to New York on pretty much a wing and a prayer to hopefully spark a successful acting career. Distinguished actor Robert Hooks was born Bobby Dean Hooks on April 18, 1937, in Washington, D.C. Email addresses. So there was a dire need. He married Lorrie Gay Marlow[10] (actress, author, artist) on June 15, 2008. Kevin Hooks was born on 19 September 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA, and is an actor and director, probably best known for his roles in Sounder and Aaron Loves Angela. Hooks, Robert T. Jr. Rev. Id like you to consider doing Henry V in the park. And I thought, Am I ready to do Henry V? I asked Papp that same question. Kevin Hooks (born September 19, 1958) is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable for his roles in Aaron Loves Angela and Sounder, but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's The White Shadow . to make your fully tax-deductible donation today. Im going to go read for Lloyd Richards, to replace Lou Gossett! Among the instructors were Barbara Ann Teer, Frances Foster, Hal DeWindt, Lonne Elder III, and Ronnie Mack. T in the 70s film Trouble Man (1972); Grandpa Gene Donovan in the comedy, Seventeen Again (2000); and Fleet Admiral Morrow in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). He also portrayed Doctor Walcott in the 1980s television series, Dynasty.. target_type: 'mix' Kevin Hooks was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[1] the son of Yvonne, a state employee, and Robert Hooks, a director and actor who starred in many films in the 1970s. Eric Hooks mostly acted during his childhood years, with one of his most popular roles being in the film, Sounder. In that dramatic 1972 classic, Eric starred alongside his brother, Kevin, as well as Hollywood heavyweights, Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield. Hooks lived in Southwest, Washington, D.C. in the late-1970s. Hooks appeared in the hit 1972 movie Sounder as the pre-teen elder son of Paul Winfield's and Cicely Tyson's characters, providing the point of view of the film. My buddies will all run me off the block. I just said, I wont do it, and she said, You will do the play.We all lived in a railroad flat. Arthur and I had our little story thing, but everybody else was happy with what I was doing. He rec'd another one Oct 23, 1761, for 300 ac. 164, 2018 Visionary Founder and Creator Award D.C. Black Repertory Company on its 47th anniversary, Emory University - Robert Hooks Collection, This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 04:41. The adults were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars respectively for their performances. He played the title role of "Henry V" at the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1965. Roberts most popular roles include Reeve Scott in Hurry Sundown (1967); Mr. His television career began in 1963 with the role of a police detective on the television series East Side/West Side. ROBERT HOOKS: We grew up in whats called the Foggy Bottom in segregated Washington, maybe 10 blocks from the White House, but still segregated Washington. Actor, producer, and cultural activist Robert Hooks is now best known as one of the founders of the historic Negro Ensemble Company(NEC),where he served as executive director and producer. Morris Thorpe was reportedly voted[weaselwords] one of America's 100 favorite characters in the history of television. Five persons linked to this address. I had these great kids off the streets of New York, from all five boroughs, maybe 60 or 70 students, coming into my apartment every day, studying acting, voice, movement, and reading and performing poetry. And there was this small, very energetic Asian woman who was an employee in the sweatshop, Yuri Kochiyama, who also worked to protect the sweatshop employees against management and the owners. I didnt win the Tony Award, but I was nominated for it, which for me was just as important career-wise. He's also well-known for being a part of the television show "The White Shadow" playing Morris Thorpe. The youngest of five children, Hooks was born in Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C. to Mae Bertha (ne Ward), a seamstress, and Edward Hooks who had moved from Rocky Mount, North Carolina with their four other children, Bernice, Caroleigh, Charles Edward "Charlie", and James Walter "Jimmy". He was the youngest of five children. Kevin Hooks is also a film director, and cast his father in two of his films: Passenger 57 (1992) and Fled (1996). Aside from Kevin and Eric Hooks, their father has 5 more children- Cecelia Ann Hooks Onibudo, Christopher Carter, Michelle Thomas Hooks, Robert Hooks Jr., and Kiyo Dean Tarpley Hooks. Heres the thing, what many fans didnt know at that time, is that as we were watching Kevin Hooks do his thing on White Shadow, we were also watching his Pops play roles in other various TV shows and films. Milwaukee Public Schools 5225 W. Vliet Street Milwaukee, WI 53208 Switchboard: (414) 475-8393 target_type: 'mix' Just stop right there, young man. And thats when he explained to me, What you all are doing on the stage, what these writers, the Black writers, are writing about, what youre doing up on that stage for the Black community and everyone else is just as important as what were doing on the front lines in the South. In 2008, he married his bride, Lorrie Marlow, at the age of 70 years young. Heres the thing, what many fans didnt know at that time, is that as we were watching Kevin Hooks do his thing on The White Shadow, we were also watching his Pops play roles in other various TV shows and films. Previous Story Next Story Reference: IMDB Robert Hooks.com Subject: Hooks, Robert Related Videos: Robert Hooks talks about his experience at Stevens Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Robert Hooks talks about acting in his first play, 'The Pirates of Penzance', Robert Hooks talks about being in his first play when he was nine years old, Robert Hooks talks about falling in love with the stage at nine years old, Robert Hooks talks about what he did for fun as a child, Robert Hooks describes his junior and high school education, Robert Hooks talks about going for a joy ride in a car, Robert Hooks talks about getting into a fight while in a receiving home for juvenile delinquents for three days, Robert Hooks talks about his stepfather and step-siblings, Robert Hooks talks about his experience at West Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Robert Hooks talks about having a crush on his drama teacher at West Philadelphia High School, Robert Hooks talks about his first child, Cecelia Ann, Robert Hooks talks about being shut out of his second daughter, Michelle's, life, Robert Hooks talks about his teachers at West Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Robert Hooks talks about enjoying jazz in high school and his high school classmate HistoryMaker McCoy Tyner, Robert Hooks talks about studying at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama in Philadelphia from 1957 to 1958, Robert Hooks talks about seeing 'A Raisin in the Sun' for the first time, Robert Hooks talks about his first night in New York City, staying in a YMCA and visiting Birdland, Robert Hooks talks about his first experiences in Harlem, New York in 1959, Robert Hooks talks about multiple jobs he had when he first moved to New York City in 1959, Robert Hooks talks about meeting Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X in 1960, Robert Hooks talks about auditioning for 'A Raisin in the Sun', Robert Hooks talks about people he met while acting in 'A Raisin in the Sun', Robert Hooks talks about his political activities, Robert Hooks talks about his first wife Yvonne and his sons Kevin and Eric, Robert Hooks tells the story of how HistoryMaker Douglas Turner Ward took over the role of Walter Lee Younger, pt.