Robert Hooks

Father of actor, writer, director Kevin Hooks Robert Dean "Bobby" Hooks (born April 18, 1937) is an African-American actor of films, television, and stage. With a career as a producer and political activist to his credit, he is most recognizable to the public for his over 100 roles in films and television. 2Biography 3Early life Youngest of five children, Hooks was born in Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C., the son of Bertha (née Ward), a seamstress, and Edward Hooks, who worked on the railroad tracks, where he died. 3Personal Life Hooks is the father of actor, television and film director Kevin Hooks. 3Career Hooks has been regarded, variously, as a gifted artist who broke the color barriers in stage, film and television before the term "colorblind casting" even existed, and a leading man when there were no African American matinee idols. He originated roles on the New York stage in such classics as Dutchman, A Taste of Honey and Where's Daddy? for which he won the Theatre World Award. He was the first African American lead on a television drama, the original N.Y.P.D. In 1968 Hooks was the host of the new public affairs television program, Like It Is. Most famously, Hooks, along with Douglas Turner Ward, founded The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). He then brought Gerald Krone in as Production Manage