Avery Brooks Biography (1948-)

Full name, Avery Franklin Brooks; born October 2, 1948, in Evansville, IN; son of Samuel (a singer, tool and die worker, and union official) and Eva Lydia(a music instructor and chorale conductor; maiden name, Crawford) Brooks; grandson of Samuel Travis Crawford (a singer); married Vicki Lenora Bowen (an assistant dean), 1976; children: Ayana, Cabral, Asante. Addresses: Manager: Vanguard Talent Management, 650 North Bronson Ave., Suite B-140, Los Angeles, CA 90004.

Nationality
American
Gender
Male
Occupation
Actor, teacher, director, choreographer
Birth Details
October 2, 1948
Evansville, Indiana, United States

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Television Appearances
  • Series
  • Hawk, Spenser: For Hire, ABC, 1985-89
  • Hawk, A Man Called Hawk, ABC, 1989
  • Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (also known as DS9, Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: DS9), syndicated, 1993-99
  • Host, Ancient Evidence, BBC, beginning 2003
  • Miniseries
  • Cletus Moyer, Roots: The Gift, ABC, 1988
  • Narrator, Heart of Africa (documentary; also known as NationalGeographic's "Heart of Africa"), PBS, 1996
  • Voices, Jazz (documentary), PBS, 2001
  • Movies
  • Dude on bus, Finnegan Begin Again, HBO, 1985
  • Uncle Tom, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Showtime, 1987
  • Eyes on the Prize: Marian Anderson (documentary; also known as Marian Anderson), PBS, 1991
  • Hawk, Spenser: Ceremony, Lifetime, 1993
  • Reverend James Lawson, The Ernest Green Story, The Disney Channel,1993
  • Hawk, Spenser: A Judas Goat, Lifetime, 1994
  • Hawk, Spenser: Pale Kings & Princes, Lifetime, 1994
  • Hawk, Spenser: A Savage Place, Lifetime, 1995
  • Specials
  • Solomon Northrup, "Solomon Northrup's `Odyssey'" (also known as "Half-Slave, Half-Free" and "Half-Slave, Half-Free: Solomon Northrup's `Odyssey'"), American Playhouse, PBS, 1984
  • Gordon Parks: Moments without Proper Names (also known as Moments without Proper Names), PBS, 1988
  • Host, "Prisoners on the Street," Trackdown (also known as Trackdown: Prisoners on the Street), ABC, c. 1988
  • Host, Trackdown, ABC, two additional specials, c. 1988
  • Host, A Passion for Faith (documentary), ABC, c. 1990
  • Host and narrator, The Musical Legacy of Roland Hayes (documentary), PBS, 1990
  • The Science of Star Trek (documentary), PBS, 1995
  • Himself, Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond, UPN, 1996
  • Host, The Ark of the Spirit with Avery Brooks, TBS, 1996
  • Voice, Africans in America--America's Journey through Slavery (documentary), PBS, 1998
  • Voice of W. E. B. DuBois, The Two Nations of Black America (documentary), PBS, 1998
  • Narrator, Apartheid's Last Stand (documentary), The Discovery Channel, 1999
  • Narrator, Our Savage Sun (documentary), The Discovery Channel, 1999
  • Narrator, South Georgia Island: Paradise of Ice (documentary), PBS, 1999
  • Narrator, Space Colonies: Living Among the Stars (documentary), The Discovery Channel, 1999
  • Narrator of American version, Walking with Dinosaurs (also known as Dinosaurier--Im Reich der Giganten), BBC and The Discovery Channel,1999
  • (In archive footage) Ultimate Trek: Star Trek's Greatest Moments,UPN, 1999
  • Narrator, The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs (documentary), TheDiscovery Channel, 2000
  • Narrator of American version, Big Al Uncovered (documentary; alsoknown as The Science of Big Al), BBC, 2000
  • (In archive footage) Solomon Northrup, Half Past Autumn: The Life andWorks of Gordon Parks (documentary), HBO, 2000
  • Pop Goes the Fourth, Arts and Entertainment, 2000
  • Narrator of American version, The Ballad of Big Al (also known asAllosaurus: A "Walking with Dinosaurs" Special), The Discovery Channeland BBC, 2001
  • Narrator, Land of the Mammoth (animated documentary), The Discovery Channel, 2001
  • Voice, Echoes from the White House (documentary), PBS, 2001
  • Voice of narrator, Jesus: The Complete Story (documentary), The Discovery Channel, 2001
  • Awards Presentations
  • Himself, 26th Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1994
  • The 1999 Essence Awards, Fox, 1999
  • Episodic
  • Voice of Nokkar, "Sentinel," Gargoyles (animated), syndicated, 1996
  • Pilots
  • Commander Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine--Emissary, syndicated, 1993
  • Television Work
  • Series
  • Producer, A Man Called Hawk, ABC, 1989
  • Additional voices, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child(animated), HBO, c. 1995-98
  • Television Director
  • Episodic
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (also known as DS9, Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: DS9), episodes from 1994-99
  • Film Appearances
  • Paris, The Big Hit, TriStar, 1998
  • Sweeney, American History X, New Line Cinema, 1998
  • Voice of narrator, Africa's Elephant Kingdom (documentary), IMAX Corporation, 1998
  • Voice of narrator, The Greatest Places (documentary), 1998
  • Narrator, Quest for Life (short documentary), Metavision, 2000
  • Detective Leon Jackson, 15 Minutes (also known as 15 Minuten Ruhm), New Line Cinema, 2001
  • Stage Appearances
  • Sean David, A Photograph: A Study of Cruelty (also known as A Photograph), New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, New York City,1978
  • Paul Robeson, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?, Promenade Theatre, New York City, 1978-79, Century Theatre, New York City, 1979
  • Second player, Spell #7, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1979
  • Title role, Paul Robeson (solo show; also known as Paul Robeson: A Play with Music), various venues, including Westwood Playhouse, Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, and Longacre Theatre, New York City, various performances from 1982-95
  • Malcolm X, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (opera), 1985
  • Title role, Othello, Folger Shakespeare Festival, Washington, DC,1985
  • Title role, Paul Robeson (solo show; Paul Robeson: A Play withMusic), John Golden Theatre, New York City, 1988
  • Fences, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, MO, 1990
  • The Talented Tenth, Crossroads Theatre Company, New Brunswick, NJ,1992
  • Lopahin, The Cherry Orchard, McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ, 2000
  • Oedipus, The Oedipus Plays, Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC, 2001
  • New Federal Theatre 30th Anniversary Gala, Majestic Theatre, New York City, 2001
  • Title role, King Lear, Yale Repertory Theatre, University Theatre,New Haven, CT, 2004
  • Appeared as Theseus and Oberson, A Midsummer Night's Dream, ArenaStage, Washington, DC; appeared in Catch the Spirit of Black Theater.
  • Major Tours
  • The Exonerated, The Culture Project, U.S. cities, 2002-2004
  • Stage Work
  • Choreographer, The Mighty Gents, New York Shakespeare Festival, Mobile Theatre, New York City, 1979
  • Director, Manfred (staged reading), Music with Words Festival, NewEngland Conservatory, 1986
  • RECORDINGS
  • Videos
  • Narrator, Ebony/Jet Guide to Black Excellence (three videos), HomeVision Entertainment, c. 1991
  • Video Games
  • Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine--Harbinger, 1996
  • Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, 1999
  • Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine--Dominion Wars,2001

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

    Books
    • Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 9, Gale, 1995
    Periodicals
    • Chronicle of Higher Education, June 8, 1994
    • Cinefantastique, November, 1997, pp. 27-29
    • Entertainment Weekly, January 8, 1993
    • Essence, April, 1989, pp. 74-77
    • Jet, February 1, 1993, p. 64
    • New York Post, August 10, 1988
    • Parade, December 20, 1998, pp. 8-9
    • Starlog, October, 1994
    • TV Guide, February 13, 1993; May 27, 1995; August 24, 1996, p. 19

    User Contributions:

    Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:

    CAPTCHA


    forum