Robert Hooks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Hooks
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Bobby Dean Hooks
April 18, 1937 Washington, D.C., United States
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| Years active | 1960–present |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Lorrie Marlow (aka LorrieGay Marlow) (m. 2008) |
| Children | Kevin Hooks, Eric Hooks, Cecilia Onibudo, Christopher Carter (né Hooks), Kiyo Tarpley, Robert (Rob) Hooks, Jr., Shelly Wulff née Michelle Thomas |
| Parent(s) | Mae Bertha "Bert" Ward Hooks (9/27/11 – 12/27/78); Edward Hooks (d. 1939) |
Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is a famous American actor, producer, and activist. He helped create The Negro Ensemble Company with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone. This company is known for helping many Black artists start their careers. It also created many important African-American plays over thirty years. Hooks also started two other important Black theater groups: the D.C. Black Repertory Company and New York's Group Theatre Workshop.
Contents
About Robert Hooks
His Early Life
Robert Hooks was born Bobby Dean Hooks on April 18, 1937, in Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.. He was the youngest of five children. His mother, Mae Bertha, was a seamstress. His father, Edward, died in an accident in 1939 when Robert was very young.
Robert went to Stevens Elementary School. When he was nine, his sister Bernice encouraged him to act in his first play, The Pirates of Penzance. From ages six to twelve, Robert and his siblings worked in tobacco fields in North Carolina. This helped their family earn money for school.
In 1954, Robert moved to Philadelphia to live with his mother and her second husband. There, he attended West Philadelphia High School, which was his first integrated school. He joined the drama club and acted in plays by famous writers like William Shakespeare. After graduating in 1956, he chose to study acting at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Theatre instead of going to college.
Acting Career Highlights
After seeing the play A Raisin in the Sun, Robert Hooks moved to New York to become an actor. In April 1960, he made his first appearance on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun. He later took over roles from other famous actors like Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones in plays like A Taste of Honey and The Blacks.
In 1964, he played the lead role of Clay in the play Dutchman. Around this time, he started using the name Robert Hooks. He also won an award for his role in Where's Daddy? and was nominated for a Tony Award for Hallelujah Baby!. At the same time, he was the first African-American lead actor on a TV drama called N.Y.P.D..
Robert Hooks has received many honors for his work. He was nominated for a Tony Award and won an Emmy Award for his TV special Voices of Our People. He has also received the NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement and is in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
He is known for many roles in movies and TV shows. These include Reeve Scott in Hurry Sundown (1967), Mr. T. in Trouble Man (1972), and Fleet Admiral Morrow in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). He also appeared in TV series like Dynasty.
Activism and Community Work
Robert Hooks has done a lot of work to help his community through the arts.
In 1964, he started The Group Theatre Workshop. This was a free acting program for young people in cities who wanted to learn about acting. Many talented people, like Antonio Fargas and Hattie Winston, came from this program.
This workshop later became part of The Negro Ensemble Company, which Hooks co-founded in 1967. This company received a large grant to help train actors and create new plays.
After the 1968 Washington, D.C., riots, Robert Hooks started The D.C. Black Repertory Company (1970–1981). He believed that art could help people heal after difficult times. The famous singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock was formed within this company.
Hooks also helped create the first prison-based arts program in the United States in 1971. This program, called The Inner Voices, helped inmates at Lorton Prison learn through art. One inmate, Rhozier "Roach" Brown, even had his sentence ended by President Gerald Ford because of his work in the program.
Later, Hooks moved to the West Coast and continued his work. In 1992, he co-founded Arts in Action in Los Angeles. This center helped people learn about film and TV production and find jobs in the industry.
In 1994, he created the Negro Ensemble Company of Los Angeles. Many original members of the New York company had moved to the West Coast. Famous actors like Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson served on its board. The goal was to continue the success of the original company in a new area.
Personal Life
Robert Hooks is the father of Kevin Hooks, who is also an actor and director. Robert Hooks married Lorrie Gay Marlow in 2008. He was previously married to Yvonne Hickman and Rosie Lee Hooks.
Since 2021, Emory University has been collecting materials about Robert Hooks' career for its official archives. This includes scripts, letters, and other important documents.
Awards and Recognition
Robert Hooks has received many awards for his amazing work:
- 1966 – Theatre World Award for Where's Daddy?
- 1979 – American Black Achievement Award from Ebony Magazine
- 1982 – Emmy Award for Producing Voices of Our People: In Celebration of Black Poetry
- 1985 – Inducted into The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
- 1986 – March 2 was declared Robert Hooks Day by the City of Los Angeles.
- 2000 – Received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Bowie State University.
- 2000 – May 25 was declared Robert Hooks Day in Washington, D.C.
- 2005 – NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement.
- 2007 – The Black Theatre Alliance Awards / Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 2015 – Living Legend Award from the National Black Theatre Festival.
- 2018 – October 18 was proclaimed Robert Hooks Day by Mayor Muriel Bowser in Washington, D.C.
- 2018 – His achievements were officially recognized in The Congressional Record.
Notable Roles in Film and Television
Robert Hooks has appeared in many films and television shows throughout his career.
Film Roles
- 1967: Sweet Love, Bitter as Keel Robinson
- 1967: Hurry Sundown as Reeve Scott
- 1972: Trouble Man as "Mr. T"
- 1984: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock as Admiral Morrow
- 1992: Passenger 57 as FBI Agent Dwight Henderson
- 1993: Posse as David "King David" Lee
Television Roles
- 1967–1969: N.Y.P.D. as Detective Jeff Ward
- 1979: Backstairs at the White House (mini-series) as John Mays
- 1984: Dynasty as Dr. Walcott
- 1986–1995: Murder, She Wrote in various roles
- 1993: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Dean Morgan
- 1994–1995: M.A.N.T.I.S. as Mayor Lew Mitchell
- 2000: Seventeen Again (television movie) as Grandpa Gene Donovan
