Avery Brooks

Biography

Avery Franklin Brooks (born October 2, 1948) is an American actor, director, singer, narrator and educator. He is best known for his television roles as Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and as Dr. Bob Sweeney in the Academy Award–nominated film American History X. Brooks was born in Evansville, Indiana, and raised in Gary, Indiana. He attended Oberlin College, where he studied music and theater. After graduating from Oberlin, he moved to New York City to pursue his acting career. Brooks's first professional acting role was in the play "The Great White Hope" in 1970. He went on to appear in a number of Broadway productions, including "The Wiz" and "A Chorus Line". He also starred in the television miniseries "Roots" in 1977. In 1993, Brooks was cast as Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The series ran for seven seasons, and Brooks's performance as Sisko was critically acclaimed. He won a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television in 1995. After Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended, Brooks continued to work in television and film. He starred in the series "Shark" from 2006 to 2008, and he appeared in the films "American History X" and "The Score". Brooks is also a talented singer and musician. He has released two albums, "Song of My People" and "The Way I Feel". He is also a gifted director, and he has directed a number of theater productions and television episodes.

Known For

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Gargoyles

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

American History X

Spenser: For Hire

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The Big Hit

15 Minutes

All Movies (31)

• What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine2018 · as Self
• Mysteries of Ancient China2016 · as Self - Presenter
• The Captains2011 · as Self
• Drain the Ocean2009 · as Narrator
• God v. Satan: The Final Battle2008 · as Himself (Narrator)
• Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier2007 · as Self
• Othello2005 · as Othello
• Deep Space Nine: A Bold Beginning2003 · as Himself
• Trials and Tribble-ations: Uniting Two Legends2003 · as Self
• Land of the Mammoth2001 · as Self - Narrator
• 15 Minutes2001 · as Leon Jackson
• Savage Sun1999 · as Narrator (voice)
• American History X1998 · as Sweeney
• The Greatest Places1998 · as Narrator (voice)
• Africa's Elephant Kingdom1998 · as Narrator
• The Big Hit1998 · as Paris
• Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond1996 · as Self
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Way of the Warrior1995 · as Benjamin Sisko
• Spenser: A Savage Place1995 · as Hawk
• The New Explorers: The Science of Star Trek1995 · as Self
• Spenser: The Judas Goat1994 · as Hawk
• Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes1994 · as Hawk
• Spenser: Ceremony1993 · as Hawk
• The Ernest Green Story1993 · as Rev. Lawson
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes1993 · as Himself
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Emissary1993 · as Benjamin Sisko
• Solomon Northup's Odyssey1991 · as Solomon Northup
• Roots: The Gift1988 · as Cletus Moyer
• Uncle Tom's Cabin1987 · as Uncle Tom
• Moments without Proper Names1987 · as Self
• Finnegan Begin Again1985 · as Dude on Bus

All TV Shows (8)

• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy2026 · as Benjamin Sisko (voice)
• The Captains Close Up2013 · as Self
• For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots2010 · as Self - Narrator
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child1995 · as King Maximus (voice)
• Gargoyles1994 · as Nokkar (voice)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine1993 · as Benjamin Sisko
• A Man Called Hawk1989
• Spenser: For Hire1985 · as Hawk