Avery Brooks was born on the 2nd of October 1948 and raised in Indiana (USA), Brooks attended Oberlin College, Indiana University
and later, Rutgers University, where he was the 1st black MFA
graduate in Acting & Directing.
These were his 1st steps to developing into a distinguished and
respected actor, musician, director and teacher.
In 1993, Brooks was named Artistic Director of the National Black
Arts Festival. Held biannually since 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia, the internationally
acclaimed festival celebrates African-American culture and people of African
descent.
Before joining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Brooks performed in the title role of the
Phillip Hayes Dean play "Paul Robeson." He has performed the role since 1982 at
the Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles, and also at the Kennedy Centre in
Washington, and the Longacre Theatre on Broadway.
A veteran of numerous theatre productions, Brooks has appeared in the lead role in
Shakespeare's "Othello" at Washington D.C.'s Folger Theatre, and sang the title
role in Anthony Davis's opera, "X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X."
Brooks has hosted numerous documentaries, among them are the award winning
"The Musical Legacy of Roland Hayes." His TV credits include starring in the ABC
series A Man Called Hawk and co-starring with Robert Urich in ABC's Spenser: For
Hire, a role which he repeated in four, 2-hour movies.
Furthermore, Brooks has done comprehensive work with the Smithsonian Institute's
Program in Black American Culture. He was seen in the title role in the film
"Solomon Northup's Odyssey" for PBS' American Playhouse. Brooks also earned a
Cable ACE Award nomination for his portrayal of Uncle Tom in Showtime's
production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
He was also the narrator for the large format IMAX film "Africa's Elephant Kingdom."
Also in the animal kingdom, Brooks could recently be heard as the narrator behind
the highly acclaimed "Walking with Dinosaurs" documentary.
Since 1972, Brooks has been associated with Rutgers University, where he is a
tenured professor of theatre at the Mason Gross School of the Arts.
In 1993, he was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
He has also taught at Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University.
In feature films, Brooks recently starred in "American History X" co-starring Edward
Norton, Jennifer Lien and Edward Furlong. He additionally co-starred with Mark
Wahlberg in "The Big Hit," produced by Wesley Snipes and John Woo.
He's also married and has 2 sons and a daughter.
