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.

Filmography

• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy — Benjamin Sisko (voice)
• 2009Drain the Ocean — Narrator
• 2005Othello — Othello
• 200115 Minutes — Leon Jackson
• 1999Savage Sun — Narrator (voice)
• 1998Africa's Elephant Kingdom — Narrator
• 1998American History X — Sweeney
• 1998The Big Hit — Paris
• 1998The Greatest Places — Narrator (voice)
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — King Maximus (voice)
• 1995Spenser: A Savage Place — Hawk
• 1995Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Way of the Warrior — Benjamin Sisko
• Gargoyles — Nokkar (voice)
• 1994Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes — Hawk
• 1994Spenser: The Judas Goat — Hawk
• 1993Spenser: Ceremony — Hawk
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Benjamin Sisko, Director
• 1993Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Emissary — Benjamin Sisko
• 1993The Ernest Green Story — Rev. Lawson
• 1991Solomon Northup's Odyssey — Solomon Northup
• A Man Called Hawk
• 1988Roots: The Gift — Cletus Moyer
• 1987Uncle Tom's Cabin — Uncle Tom
• 1985Finnegan Begin Again — Dude on Bus
• Spenser: For Hire — Hawk
• American Playhouse — Solomon Northup

Appearances as themselves (14)

• 2018What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Self
• 2016Mysteries of Ancient China — Self - Presenter
• The Captains Close Up — Self
• 2011The Captains — Self
• For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots — Self - Narrator
• 2008God v. Satan: The Final Battle — Himself (Narrator)
• 2007Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier — Self
• 2003Deep Space Nine: A Bold Beginning — Himself
• 2003Trials and Tribble-ations: Uniting Two Legends — Self
• 2001Land of the Mammoth — Self - Narrator
• 1996Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond — Self
• 1995The New Explorers: The Science of Star Trek — Self
• 1993Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes — Himself
• 1987Moments without Proper Names — Self