Hinton Battle

Born November 29, 1956 in Neubrucke, Germany, son of SFC Hinton G. Battle of the US Army who after retirement from the Service became the Supervisor of the Sanitation Department of Fort McNair and Carrie C. Battle, who received the highest award given
to a civilian as Chief of Accounting for the Forest Glen Commissary, Hinton was destined to greatness. The three-time Tony Award winner died. He passed away on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, after a lengthy illness.

After studying at the renowned Jones Haywood School of Ballet in Washington DC and The School of American Ballet in New York City, Hinton began his career on Broadway at the age of 15, originating the role of the Scarecrow in The Wiz. He has since gone on to build an impressive portfolio of work, dazzling audiences across the country and around the world for three decades, starring in some of the most memorable musicals, including Dancin’, Dreamgirls, Sophisticated Ladies, Chicago (Billy Flynn), Ragtime (Coalhouse Walker Jr.), Miss Saigon and The Tap Dance Kid. He is the recipient of numerous awards honoring his versatility as an entertainer, among them the NAACP Image Awards, Midtown International Theatre Festival Award, Fred Astaire Award, Ira Aldridge Award, Planet Connection Award, the 2012 Champion of the Arts Award from Big Boi’s “Antwan Patton” Big Kidz Foundation, and the AMAS 2014 Rosie Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of extraordinary accomplishment in the theatrical arts.

Hinton easily crossed from stage to television and recording to producing, writing, directing and acting appearing in such shows as These Old Broads, Foreign Student, Touched By An Angel, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Smash, and opposite Jamie Fox in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls.

As a choreographer, Hinton’s credits include the 65th and 66th Academy Awards, the Outkast musical, Idlewild, Bolden, and Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story. Additionally, he has directed and choreographed ballets for the Baltimore School of the Arts, Washington Reflections Dance Company, Jones Haywood School of Dance, and Phildanco. He directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway musicals Respect, The
Marvelous Wonderettes, the stage production of Evil Dead, and Sistas: The Musical, which aired in 2013 on BET. Hinton Battle wrote, produced, and directed the comedy-drama, Love Lies the Tour, starring Grammy winners Brian McKnight and Angie Stone. He wrote, directed, and choreographed Hinton Battle’s American Variety Bang II produced by Yoshimoto at Osaki’s NGK Theatre to sold-out performances.

Hinton has recently been hard at work on his autobiography and a children’s book, My Huge Secret. He was also selected to be featured in The Microsoft Legacy Project Virtual Museum’s “Black History Month 2022 Experience”. Hinton’s greatest joy has been the launch of the professional entertainment academy, Hinton Battle Dance Academy (HBDA). Since 2017 Hinton Battle and Yoshimoto Kogyo his co-founder, have prepared students for successful careers in the entertainment industry and in life.

Hinton leaves to mourn his passing his sisters, Eddie and Lettie Battle, brothers LaNard (deceased) and Kirk (deceased) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.