Avery Brooks
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.
Acting
Movie
American History X
as Sweeney
1998
TV
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
as Benjamin Sisko
1993
Movie
15 Minutes
as Leon Jackson
2001
Movie
The Big Hit
as Paris
1998
TV
Gargoyles
as Nokkar (voice)
1994
TV
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
as Benjamin Sisko (voice)
2026
Movie
The Captains
as Self
2011
Movie
What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
as Self
2018
TV
Spenser: For Hire
as Hawk
1985
Movie
Uncle Tom's Cabin
as Uncle Tom
1987
Movie
Roots: The Gift
as Cletus Moyer
1988
Movie
Finnegan Begin Again
as Dude on Bus
1985
TV
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
as King Maximus (voice)
1995
Movie
The Greatest Places
as Narrator (voice)
1998
TV
The Captains Close Up
as Self
2013
Movie
The Ernest Green Story
as Rev. Lawson
1993
Movie
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
as Self
1996
TV
A Man Called Hawk
1989
Movie
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Way of the Warrior
as Benjamin Sisko
1995
Movie
Solomon Northup's Odyssey
as Solomon Northup
1991
Movie
Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier
as Self
2007
Movie
Africa's Elephant Kingdom
as Narrator
1998
Movie
Mysteries of Ancient China
as Self - Presenter
2016
Movie
Drain the Ocean
as Narrator
2009