April 2, 1911 (Philadelphia, PA) – November 12, 1992 (New York, NY)
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Honi Coles learned to dance on neighborhood sidewalks imitating Bill Robinson and John Bubbles. His early professional work during the 1930s and the ë40s included performing as a soloist and as a member of the Miller Brothers and the Lucky Seven Trio. Returning from the service in the Army after the WWII, he teamed up with Charles ìChollyî Atkins to form the team, “Coles and Atkins,” playing all major theaters across the U.S. and in Europe, with bands such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstein and so on. Honi Coles’s Broadway credits included “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds,” “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” “Salute to Black Broadway,” and “My One and Only.” For “My One and Only,” he earned a Tony Award in 1983. His numerous television appearances included “Milton Berle Show,” “Kate Smith Hour,” “Sammy Davis Jr. Show,” “Camera Three,” “Dick Cavette Show,” and so on. Movie and television movie credits included “Dirty Dancing,” “Tap Dance Kid,” and “Chaleston.” He was the manager of the Apollo Theater from 1960 to 1976 and served as the president of the Negro Actors Guild. Honi Coles was acclaimed for his elegance and grace, for which Lena Horne is quoted as saying, “He made butterflies seem clumsy.”