Hinton Battle, a Broadway star and Tony Award winner, has reportedly died. She was 67 years old at the time of her death.
According The Hollywood Reporter Hinton died on January 30 while hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Although the Broadway star’s rep said he had been battling a long illness, the family has no plans to reveal the official cause of his death.
Fellow Broadway star Debbie Allen took to Instagram to announce Battle’s passing. “Today I honor Hinton Battle, my dear friend who left us to dance and sing at God’s Ensemble last night,” Allen shared. “He fought this battle to live and be creative, impacting audiences and young people around the world.”
According to BroadwayWorld, Hinton Battle began his career on Broadway when he was 15 years old. He starred in several productions, including the magician, Dancing, Dreamgirls, Chicago, and Miss Saigon.
In addition to the Tony Awards, Battle received several awards over the years. This includes the NAACP Image Awards, the Midtown International Theater Festival Award, and the Planet Connection Award.
Battle also appeared in, directed, wrote and produced numerous television shows. Among them are Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smash, and Foreign student. He also appeared in the film adaptation of Dream girls.
Hinton Battle once reflected on the pursuit of entertainment on a professional level
During an interview with The Hype Magazine, Hinton Battle talked about her career in entertainment and what really inspired her.
“I originally moved to New York to study at the School of American Ballet when I was 13,” Battle explained. “And during the holidays I was looking for a job.”
Hinton Battle recalled that his sister was chosen as a member of the choir of The magician. He decided to audition and was chosen for the choir. While on a promotional tour, one of the leads abruptly left the show during intermission. He was quickly cast as the Scarecrow during the second act.
“Then Stephanie Mills, who played ‘Dorothy,’ told me, ‘When I throw the straw at you, that’s when you have a line,’” she recalled. “So every time Stephanie pulled my straw, I would jump in the air, do a split and a pirouette, and she would say whatever came out of my mouth!”
The next day, the director called him and offered him the role full-time. “And the rest is history.”
As for what sustained him in the entertainment industry, Battle added: “First of all, loving it. You have to love what you do, so it will never get old or tiresome. That’s what keeps me going. Any job is a new job and a new experience, even if you only have three days to do it!
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn