For a Black man to lay claim to one iconic pop culture role is an amazing accomplishment, but to have two really says something about the staying power of an actor. Avery Franklin Brooks will forever be remembered for two unforgettable roles: the titular character in A Man Called Hawk (spinning off from Spenser: For Hire) and as Captain Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Despite learning to play jazz piano and descending from a musically inclined family (his maternal grandfatherwas a tenor who toured the country as a tenor with the Delta Rhythm Boys), even playing Paul Robeson in a stage biography and performing in opera, Brooks had the acting bug. After being the first Black MFA graduate from Rutgers University, he's sough to elevate from his work, saying once …
"If I were a carpenter, I'd find a way to empower using that skill. I'm using as much as God has given–my mind, my voice, my heart, my art forms. This is the highest form of expression on the planet from God, to me, to you."
In 1985, Brooks was cast as Hawk for the ABC series Spenser: For Hire, and became so popular he was spun off into his own 13 episode series in 1989, and returned for four television movies. The character of Hawk was defined by his sharp outfits, streetwise manner, sunglasses (worn even at night) and the incredibly large long barreled Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver that he carried with him nearly everywhere. He most often acted as a street resource for his private detective friend Spenser. Notably, Hawk had a clean shaven head, well before Michael Jordan and other celebrities popularized the look in the 1990s. He often entered scenes by greeting Robert Urich's character as, "Spen-sah!"
He joined the Star Trek canon in 1993 with Deep Space Nine. Originally, he shaved his goatee and wore a full head of hair for three seasons, trying to visually differentiate himself from Hawk, but eventually ended up with his trademark look anyway. Brooks won the right to play Commander Benjamin Sisko by beating 100 other actors from all racial backgrounds to become the first African-American captain to lead a Star Trek series. What appealed to Brooks about the role was the opportunity to give hope to young people, even though as a "commander," his starting rank was below other series leads.
"Today, many of our children, especially black males, do not project that they will live past the age of 19 or 20,"he told Michael Logan of TV Guide. "Star Trek allows our children the chance to see something they might never otherwise imagine."
Series producer Ronald D. Moore said of Brooks: "Avery, like his character (Sisko), is a very complex man. He is not a demanding or ego-driven actor, rather he is a thoughtful and intelligent man who sometimes has insights into the character that no one else has thought about. He has also been unfailingly polite and a classy guy in all my dealings with him."
This is just part of his amazing body of work, from voice acting in Gargoyles to a role in a Roots spinoff.
Avery Brooks was born on this day in 1948, and we're grateful for his work and his legacy.
[Source: IMDb, Wikipedia, Source]