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{{short description|American actor}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Kevin Hooks
| name = Kevin Hooks
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| occupation = Actor, director
| occupation = Actor, director
| years_active = 1969–present
| years_active = 1969–present
| spouse = Regina Hooks (1978-1984) (divorced)<br>Cheryl Hooks (?-present) (2 children
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Regina Hooks|7 January 1978|24 July 1984|end=div.}}
* Cheryl Hooks
}}
| children = 3
| parents = [[Robert Hooks]]
}}
}}


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==Early life and acting career==
==Early life and acting career==
Kevin Hooks was born in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Kevin Hooks Biography (1958-)|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/94/Kevin-Hooks.html|accessdate=19 March 2017}}</ref> the son of Yvonne, a state employee, and [[Robert Hooks]], a director and actor who starred in many films in the 1970s. Kevin's nickname among his friends is "King Royal".
Kevin Hooks was born in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Kevin Hooks Biography (1958-)|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/94/Kevin-Hooks.html|access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref> the son of Yvonne, a state employee, and [[Robert Hooks]], a director and actor who starred in many films in the 1970s. Kevin's nickname among his friends is "King Royal".


Hooks lived in [[Southwest, Washington, D.C.]] in the late-1970s. He attended [[Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)|Potomac High School]] in [[Oxon Hill]], [[Maryland]].{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
Hooks lived in [[Southwest, Washington, D.C.]] in the late-1970s. He attended [[Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)|Potomac High School]] in [[Oxon Hill]], [[Maryland]].{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}


When he was still 10, Kevin starred in the acclaimed "J.T.," a 1969 episode of the ''CBS Children's Hour'' about a thoughtful Harlem youth who befriends a sick cat. Written by Jane Wagner, it was a [[Peabody Award]] winner and remains widely available.
When he was still 10, Kevin starred in the acclaimed ''J.T.'', a 1969 episode of the ''CBS Children's Hour'' about a sensitive Harlem youth who befriends a sick cat. Written by [[Jane Wagner]], it was a [[Peabody Award]] winner.


Hooks appeared in the hit 1972 movie (''[[Sounder (film)|Sounder]]'') as the pre-teen elder son of [[Paul Winfield]]'s and [[Cicely Tyson]]'s characters, providing the point of view of the film. He held the story together as a boy thrust into being "man of the family" on a sharecropping farm during the Depression. The adults were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress [[Academy Award|Oscar]]s respectively for their performances.
Hooks appeared in the hit 1972 movie ''[[Sounder (film)|Sounder]]'' as the pre-teen elder son of [[Paul Winfield]]'s and [[Cicely Tyson]]'s characters, providing the point of view of the film. He held the story together as a boy thrust into being "man of the family" on a sharecropping farm during the Depression. The adults were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress [[Academy Award|Oscar]]s respectively for their performances.


Hooks won a role in the last film directed by [[Gordon Parks, Jr.]] (''[[Super Fly (film)|Super Fly]]''), ''[[Aaron Loves Angela]]'' (1975). Set in contemporary Harlem at New York's grittiest and most depressing ebb, that film was extolled or tarred (depending on your viewpoint) as a "[[blaxploitation]]" version of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', using African American and Puerto Rican ethnicity in lieu of medieval families. While playing a withdrawn teenager, he created electricity opposite the 15-year-old [[Irene Cara]]. [[Jose Feliciano]] in a bit part and a little comic relief lighten the grimness, as the young lovers encounter nothing but intolerance and the secret location where they meet becomes the site of a dangerous drug deal. The movie was popular locally and praised by fans, but widely considered a weakly plotted failure.
Hooks won a role in the last film directed by [[Gordon Parks, Jr.]], ''[[Aaron Loves Angela]]'' (1975). Set in contemporary Harlem at New York's grittiest and most depressing ebb, that film was regarded as a "[[blaxploitation]]" version of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', using African American and Puerto Rican ethnicity in lieu of medieval families. While playing a withdrawn teenager, Hooks created electricity opposite the 15-year-old [[Irene Cara]]. [[Jose Feliciano]] in a bit part and a little comic relief lighten the grimness,{{editorializing|date=October 2020}} as the young lovers encounter nothing but intolerance, and the secret location where they meet becomes the site of a dangerous drug deal. The movie was popular locally{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} and praised by fans,{{who|date=October 2020}} but widely considered{{weasel inline|date=October 2020}} a weakly plotted failure.


Hooks went on to portray high school basketball player Morris Thorpe in the successful TV series about high-school basketball, [[The White Shadow (TV series)|''The White Shadow'']], which ran from 1978 to 1981. Morris Thorpe was reportedly voted one of America's 100 favorite characters in the history of television.
Hooks went on to portray high school basketball player Morris Thorpe in the successful TV series about high-school basketball, [[The White Shadow (TV series)|''The White Shadow'']], which ran from 1978 to 1981. Morris Thorpe was reportedly voted{{weasel inline|date=October 2020}} one of America's 100 favorite characters in the history of television.


In 1986, he starred in the short-lived [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom ''[[He's the Mayor]]''. In 1991, Hooks directed the film ''[[Strictly Business (1991 film)|Strictly Business]]'', and also appeared in one scene opposite [[Kim Coles]]. He directed [[Wesley Snipes]] in ''[[Passenger 57]]'', [[Laurence Fishburne]] and [[Stephen Baldwin]] in ''[[Fled]]'', and also [[Patrick Swayze]] in ''[[Black Dog (film)|Black Dog]]''. Hooks worked as a director and producer on the series ''[[Prison Break]]''. He also directed two episodes from the first season of ''Lost'', "[[White Rabbit (Lost episode)|White Rabbit]]" and "[[Homecoming (Lost episode)|Homecoming]]".
In 1986, he starred in the short-lived [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom ''[[He's the Mayor]]''.
==Director roles==
In 1991, Hooks directed the film ''[[Strictly Business (1991 film)|Strictly Business]]'', and also appeared in one scene opposite [[Kim Coles]]. He directed [[Wesley Snipes]] in ''[[Passenger 57]]'', [[Cynthia Rothrock]] and [[Stacy Keach]] in ''[[Irresistible Force (film)|Irresistible Force]]'', [[Laurence Fishburne]] and [[Stephen Baldwin]] in ''[[Fled]]'', and also [[Patrick Swayze]] in ''[[Black Dog (1998 film)|Black Dog]]''. Hooks worked as a director and producer on the series ''[[Prison Break]]''. He also directed two episodes from the first season of ''Lost'', "[[White Rabbit (Lost episode)|White Rabbit]]" and "[[Homecoming (Lost episode)|Homecoming]]".


In 2003, Hooks revisited ''Sounder''. He directed ABC's [[Wonderful World of Disney]]'s TV remake of the film, with [[Paul Winfield]], his co-star from the original, playing a different role.
In 2003, Hooks revisited ''Sounder''. He directed ABC's [[Wonderful World of Disney]]'s TV remake of the film, with [[Paul Winfield]], his co-star from the original, playing a different role.


==Director roles==
Hooks directed the following episodes of ''[[Prison Break]]'':
Hooks directed the following episodes of ''[[Prison Break]]'':


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*4.22 - "[[Killing Your Number (Prison Break)|Killing Your Number]]"
*4.22 - "[[Killing Your Number (Prison Break)|Killing Your Number]]"


He also directed the film ''[[Prison Break: The Final Break]]'' (2009) based on the series.
He directed the film ''[[Prison Break: The Final Break]]'' (2009) based on the series.


Hooks is also credited as the director of the 2017 [[Madiba (miniseries)|Madiba]], a three-part [[BET]] television special about the life of the late [[Nelson Mandela]] and the struggle of the [[ANC]] which with the leadership of Mandela, famously succeeded to overthrow the regime of [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]], starring [[Laurence Fishburne]] in the role of Mandela.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5636438/?ref_=ttep_ep1</ref>
Hooks is credited as the director of the 2017 [[Madiba (miniseries)|Madiba]], a three-part [[BET]] television special about the life of the late [[Nelson Mandela]] and the struggle of the [[ANC]] which with the leadership of Mandela, famously succeeded to overthrow the regime of [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]], starring [[Laurence Fishburne]] in the role of Mandela.


In 2020, he directed an episode on ''[[The Good Lord Bird (miniseries)|The Good Lord Bird]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/daveed-diggs-wyatt-russell-the-good-lord-bird-showtime-tca-1202659889/ |title=Daveed Diggs & Wyatt Russell Join 'The Good Lord Bird' For Showtime – TCA |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |first=Denise |last=Petski |date=August 2, 2019 |access-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref>
He also directed episode 12 of [[The Punisher (TV series)]].


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Male actors from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Male actors from Philadelphia]]
⚫
[[Category:African-American male actors]]
[[Category:African-American film directors]]
[[Category:African-American film directors]]
[[Category:African-American television directors]]
[[Category:African-American television directors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male child actors]]
[[Category:American male child actors]]
[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:American television producers]]
[[Category:Television producers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Artists from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Artists from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:African-American male child actors]]
[[Category:African-American male child actors]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]

Revision as of 20:48, 24 May 2024

Kevin Hooks
Born (1958-09-19) September 19, 1958 (age 65)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1969–present
Spouses
Regina Hooks
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 1984)​
  • Cheryl Hooks
Children3
ParentRobert Hooks

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.

Early life and acting career

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. Kevin's nickname among his friends is "King Royal".

Hooks lived in Southwest, Washington, D.C. in the late-1970s. He attended Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland.[citation needed]

When he was still 10, Kevin starred in the acclaimed J.T., a 1969 episode of the CBS Children's Hour about a sensitive Harlem youth who befriends a sick cat. Written by Jane Wagner, it was a Peabody Award winner.

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. He held the story together as a boy thrust into being "man of the family" on a sharecropping farm during the Depression. The adults were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars respectively for their performances.

Hooks won a role in the last film directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., Aaron Loves Angela (1975). Set in contemporary Harlem at New York's grittiest and most depressing ebb, that film was regarded as a "blaxploitation" version of Romeo and Juliet, using African American and Puerto Rican ethnicity in lieu of medieval families. While playing a withdrawn teenager, Hooks created electricity opposite the 15-year-old Irene Cara. Jose Feliciano in a bit part and a little comic relief lighten the grimness,[editorializing] as the young lovers encounter nothing but intolerance, and the secret location where they meet becomes the site of a dangerous drug deal. The movie was popular locally[citation needed] and praised by fans,[who?] but widely considered[weasel words] a weakly plotted failure.

Hooks went on to portray high school basketball player Morris Thorpe in the successful TV series about high-school basketball, The White Shadow, which ran from 1978 to 1981. Morris Thorpe was reportedly voted[weasel words] one of America's 100 favorite characters in the history of television.

In 1986, he starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom He's the Mayor.

Director roles

In 1991, Hooks directed the film Strictly Business, and also appeared in one scene opposite Kim Coles. He directed Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57, Cynthia Rothrock and Stacy Keach in Irresistible Force, Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin in Fled, and also Patrick Swayze in Black Dog. Hooks worked as a director and producer on the series Prison Break. He also directed two episodes from the first season of Lost, "White Rabbit" and "Homecoming".

In 2003, Hooks revisited Sounder. He directed ABC's Wonderful World of Disney's TV remake of the film, with Paul Winfield, his co-star from the original, playing a different role.

Hooks directed the following episodes of Prison Break:

He directed the film Prison Break: The Final Break (2009) based on the series.

Hooks is credited as the director of the 2017 Madiba, a three-part BET television special about the life of the late Nelson Mandela and the struggle of the ANC which with the leadership of Mandela, famously succeeded to overthrow the regime of apartheid in South Africa, starring Laurence Fishburne in the role of Mandela.

In 2020, he directed an episode on The Good Lord Bird.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Kevin Hooks Biography (1958-)". Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  2. ^ Petski, Denise (August 2, 2019). "Daveed Diggs & Wyatt Russell Join 'The Good Lord Bird' For Showtime – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

Bibliography

  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 324.
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