Avery Brooks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Avery Brooks | |
 Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
|
| Birth name | Avery Franklin Brooks |
| Born | October 2, 1948 (age 58) Evansville, Indiana, USA |
| Notable roles | - Hawk in Spenser: For Hire and A Man Called Hawk - Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dr. Bob Sweeny in American History X |
Avery Franklin Brooks (born October 2, 1948 in Evansville, Indiana) is a 6' 1" (1.85 m) American actor. While headlining the Gary Civic Celebration in November 2006, Brooks stated that "I was born in Evansville ... but it was Gary, Indiana, that made me."
Contents |
[edit] Biography
He was educated at Oberlin College and Indiana University, earning degrees at both schools. Later he attended Rutgers University where he graduated MFA in acting and directing, becoming the first African-American to receive an MFA from Rutgers. [1] In 1972, he became tenured professor at the Mason Gross School of the Arts. In 1993, he was named Artistic Director for the National Black Arts Festival, in association with Rutgers University. The same year he was also inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
Avery Brooks was born to a musically-talented family. His maternal grandfather Samuel Travis Crawford toured with the country singing group Delta Rhythm Boys during the 1930s. His mother has a degree in music from Northwestern University. Avery has played jazz piano and performed baritone during his stage career, including the lead in the opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.
[edit] Theatre, film, television and documentaries
He spent ten years performing an acclaimed role of Phillip Hayes Dean in the play Paul Robeson, including performances at the Westwood Playhouse and the Kennedy Center. He is known for his dedication to African-American issues and is also Associate Professor in Theater Arts at Rutgers University. He has also hosted several documentaries and served as narrator in such features as the IMAX film "Africa's Elephant Kingdom".
His television work includes the popular 1980s television series Spenser: For Hire where he played the character Hawk. In 1989, Brooks received his own, short-lived spinoff series, A Man Called Hawk. He has also appeared in adaptations of Solomon Northup's Odyssey, Uncle Tom's Cabin as well as Roots: The Gift, Finnegan Begin Again and American History X.
[edit] Star Trek
Brooks is perhaps best known for the leading role of Benjamin Sisko on the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He directed many episodes of the series, including "Far Beyond the Stars", held by many to be one of Star Trek's best episodes.
In August 2006, Brooks voiced Captain Sisko in the PC and Xbox 360 computer game Star Trek: Legacy with his fellow Star Trek "Captains" William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula. [2]
Ronald D. Moore once said of him "Avery, like his character, is a very complex man. He is not a demanding or ego-driven actor, rather he is a thoughtful and intelligent man who sometimes has insights into the character that no one else has thought about. He has also been unfailingly polite and a classy guy in all my dealings with him." [3]
[edit] Latest projects
Brooks was part of a directors panel at a festival celebrating the work of Ntozake Shange at the New Federal Theatre on February 11, 2007. Brooks has directed Shange's Boogie Woogie Landscapes at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and in London's West End. [4]
He was one of fifteen of the Shakespeare Theatre Company regulars to be awarded the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre in March 2007. [5]
Recently, Trekweb and TrekToday announced that Avery Brooks would take a role in the upcoming movie Rambo IV: In the Serpent's Eye (2007). Brooks himself later said this was not the case. He said "I've met Mr. Stallone, many years ago — I have great respect for Mr. Stallone, always did. However, Rambo is not in my future". [6]
In March 2007, it was confirmed that Brooks would appear in a new production of Christopher Marlowe's play Tamburlaine. [7]
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] Deep Space Nine directorial credits
- "Tribunal"
- "The Abandoned"
- "Fascination"
- "Improbable Cause"
- "Rejoined"
- "Body Parts"
- "Ties of Blood and Water"
- "Far Beyond the Stars"
- "The Dogs of War"
[edit] External links
- Avery Brooks at the Internet Movie Database
- Avery Brooks article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
Categories: Articles lacking sources from March 2007 | All articles lacking sources | 1948 births | Living people | People from Evansville, Indiana | People from Gary, Indiana | People from Indiana | African-American actors | American film actors | American stage actors | American television actors | American television directors | American theatre directors | American musicians | American voice actors | Shakespearean actors | Rutgers University alumni | American actor-singers | Audio book narrators | Oberlin College alumni | Star Trek behind the scenes
