Avery Brooks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Avery Brooks
Brooks at the 2012 Destination Star Trek in London
Born	Avery Franklin Brooks (1948-10-02) October 2, 1948 (age 76) Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Education	Indiana University, Bloomington Oberlin College Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BA, MFA)
Occupation	Actor director singer educator
Years active	1984–2006
Spouse(s)	Vicki Bowen ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	3

Avery Franklin Brooks (born October 2, 1948) is an American actor, director, singer, and teacher. He is famous for his TV roles. These include Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also played Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spin-off A Man Called Hawk. Brooks was also in the movie American History X as Dr. Bob Sweeney.

Brooks has received many awards for his work. He was nominated for a Saturn Award and three NAACP Image Awards. He is also part of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. He received the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre.

Early Life and Music

Growing Up in Indiana

Avery Brooks was born in Evansville, Indiana. His mother, Eva Lydia, was a music teacher. His father, Samuel Brooks, worked with tools and was a union official. When Avery was eight, his family moved to Gary, Indiana. This happened after his father lost his job. Brooks once said that Gary, Indiana, "made him."

A Musical Family

Music was a big part of the Brooks family. His mother was one of the first African-American women to get a master's degree in music. His father sang in the Wings Over Jordan Choir. This choir was known for singing on CBS radio. His uncle, Samuel Travis Crawford, was in the Delta Rhythm Boys. Brooks shared, "Music is all around me and in me."

Education and Achievements

Brooks went to Indiana University and Oberlin College. He later earned two degrees from Rutgers University in 1976. He was the first African American to get a Master of Fine Arts in acting and directing from Rutgers.

A Career in Television

Playing Hawk in Spenser: For Hire

In 1985, Brooks got the role of Hawk. This was for the TV show Spenser: For Hire. Hawk became a very popular character. Because of this, Brooks got his own show in 1989. It was called A Man Called Hawk.

Brooks said he never saw Hawk as a "sidekick." He felt he was always an equal character. He played Hawk again in four Spenser TV movies.

Leading Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Brooks is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Sisko. This was on the science-fiction TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The show ran for seven years, from 1993 to 1999.

Brooks was chosen for the role over 100 other actors. He became the first Black-American captain to lead a Star Trek series. He also directed nine episodes of the show. One episode, "Far Beyond the Stars", talked about racial injustice. For this role, Brooks was nominated for a Saturn Award and two NAACP Image Awards.

Other Notable TV Roles

In 1984, Brooks was praised for his role in Half Slave, Half Free: Solomon Northup's Odyssey. This PBS show told the true story of Solomon Northup. He was a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.

Brooks also appeared in the TV movie Finnegan Begin Again in 1985. In 1987, he played Uncle Tom in Showtime's Uncle Tom's Cabin. He was nominated for an Ace Award for this role. In 1988, he was in Roots: The Gift. This movie also featured other Star Trek actors like LeVar Burton.

He voiced King Maximus in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. He also voiced Nokkar in the Disney cartoon Gargoyles. In 2001, Brooks narrated commercials for IBM.

Teaching and Cultural Work

Brooks has taught at Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University. In 1976, he became a professor of theater arts at Rutgers University.

From 1993 to 1996, Brooks was the artistic director for the National Black Arts Festival. This festival celebrates African-American culture. It takes place every year in Atlanta, Georgia. Brooks has also worked with the Smithsonian Institution on Black American Culture programs.

Music and Theater Performances

A Talented Singer

Brooks is a deep baritone singer. He has performed with famous musicians like Lester Bowie. He also recorded an album with saxophone player James Spaulding. In 1985, Brooks had the main role in the opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. He also sang "The Best Is Yet to Come" in a Deep Space Nine episode.

In 2009, Brooks released his first album, Here. It features jazz and blues songs. In 2020, he was on The DX Experiment's album, Black In My Own Way.

Stage Actor and Director

Brooks earned great praise for his role in the play Paul Robeson. He played the life of the famous singer and civil-rights activist. He performed this role many times, including on Broadway.

His early theater work includes plays like The Offering and Othello. He played Othello at the Folger Shakespeare Festival in 1985. In 1994, he was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. Brooks also played the main role in The Oedipus Plays and King Lear. In 2005, he played Othello again at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. He was honored with the William Shakespeare Award in 2007.

In 2008, Brooks played Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. He also returned to play Paul Robeson at the Shakespeare Theater in 2011.

Film Roles

Brooks played Dr. Bob Sweeney in American History X (1998). He was also Paris in the 1998 film The Big Hit. His last movie role was in 2001. He played Detective Leon Jackson in 15 Minutes.

Documentary Work

Brooks has hosted and narrated many documentaries. He narrated the IMAX film Africa's Elephant Kingdom. He also narrated Walking with Dinosaurs for the Discovery Channel. His deep voice helped bring these stories to life.

In 2007, he narrated The Better Hour. This film was about William Wilberforce. He led the fight to end slavery in the United Kingdom. In 2009, Brooks narrated Drain the Ocean for National Geographic. This show used computer graphics to explore the ocean floor.

In 2011, Brooks was interviewed by William Shatner in the documentary The Captains. This film featured actors who played captains in Star Trek. Brooks also helped with the music for this project.

Since 2013, Brooks has narrated The Bible's Greatest Secrets. This series on the American Heroes Channel looks at history and archeology related to the Bible.

Avery Brooks, 2009

Personal Life

Avery Brooks has been married to Vicki Lenora Brooks since 1976. She is a dean at Rutgers University. They have three adult children: Ayana, Cabral, and Asante. They live in Princeton, New Jersey.

Brooks shares his birthday with another Star Trek actor, Persis Khambatta. He is close to Cirroc Lofton, who played his son on Deep Space Nine. Brooks also enjoys baseball. His favorite player is Dick Allen.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games