Hinton Battle facts for kids

Hinton Battle (born November 29, 1956 – died January 29, 2024) was an amazing American actor, singer, dancer, and dance teacher. He won three Tony Awards, which are very important awards for Broadway shows. He was the first person to play the Scarecrow in the original stage musical The Wiz. Later, Michael Jackson played this role in the 1978 movie version.

Early Life and First Steps

Hinton Battle was born in West Germany, in a town called Neubrücke. His family later moved to Washington, D.C. and New York City. His dad was in the U.S. Army, and his mom was a homemaker.

Hinton showed his talent for dancing when he was just nine years old. He studied ballet for three years at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet. Then, he earned a special scholarship to The School of American Ballet. He studied there until he was fifteen, learning from a famous teacher named George Balanchine.

In 1975, Hinton made his big debut on Broadway. He starred as the Scarecrow in the musical The Wiz at the Majestic Theatre.

A Career on Stage and Screen

Hinton Battle appeared in many films and television shows. Some of these include Quantum Leap, Dreamgirls, and Touched by an Angel.

He also played a character called Sweet, a jazz demon, in a special musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In this episode, a spell made everyone sing their deepest secrets and fears.

Broadway Success

Hinton had many starring roles on Broadway. These included Dancin', Dreamgirls, and Sophisticated Ladies. For Sophisticated Ladies, he won his first Tony Award.

He also starred in Chicago as Billy Flynn and Ragtime as Coalhouse Walker Jr. His role in The Tap Dance Kid earned him his second Tony Award. He also won the NAACP Award and the Fred Astaire Award for this role. For Miss Saigon, he won his third Tony Award.

Television and Choreography

Hinton Battle also worked a lot in television. He had his own one-man show called Shine. He also co-starred in These Old Broads with famous actresses like Shirley MacLaine and Elizabeth Taylor.

Hinton was also a talented choreographer. This means he created dance routines. He choreographed the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also choreographed for The Golden Globe Awards and Dance in America. He helped create dances for TV shows like Sister Sister and commercials for Coca-Cola.

He was also an Associate Choreographer for the Academy Awards (the Oscars) for two years.

Later Work

Hinton Battle co-directed and choreographed Evil Dead The Musical. He also choreographed the movie musical Idlewild. He worked with Wynton Marsalis on a film about Buddy Bolden, who created jazz music.

Hinton also directed a stage musical called Respect. In 2006, he created a new dance style called Swop. It mixes swing and hip-hop. This new dance was performed on the popular TV show Dancing with the Stars. In 2014, Hinton starred in an off-Broadway show called Cindy: The Musical.

Music

Besides his amazing dancing, Hinton Battle also sang in the mid-1980s. His song "Think We're Gonna Make It" was on the soundtrack for the 1986 movie Playing for Keeps. He also released his only solo album, Untapped, in the same year.

See also

A robot friend for kids.

In Spanish: Hinton Battle para niños