Avery Brooks was born on October 2, 1948, in Evansville, Indiana, and grew up in Gary, Indiana, in a musically gifted family. His mother, Eva Lydia Crawford, was a choral conductor and music instructor, and his father, Samuel Brooks, was a union official and tool and die worker. His maternal grandfather, Samuel Travis Crawford, was a singer who graduated from Tougaloo College in 1901. Brooks attended Indiana University and Oberlin College before earning a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Acting and Directing from Rutgers University in 1976, becoming the first African American to receive an MFA in acting and directing from Rutgers.

     Brooks gained recognition in 1985 when he was cast as Hawk in Spenser: For Hire, a role that led to his own spin-off series, A Man Called Hawk (1989). He later starred in Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1987), earning a CableACE Award nomination. In 1993, Brooks was cast as Captain Benjamin Sisko, the commanding officer of Deep Space Nine, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His portrayal was groundbreaking, as he was the first Black lead in a Star Trek series. He remained in the role until the series ended in 1999, earning three NAACP Image Award nominations and a Saturn Award nomination. Beyond Star Trek, Brooks appeared in American History X (1998), The Big Hit (1998), and 15 Minutes (2001). He also performed in theater, starring in Paul Robeson, Othello, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

     Brooks is a tenured professor at Rutgers University, where he has taught theater since 1976. He has also served as the Artistic Director of the National Black Arts Festival. A talented musician, he has performed jazz piano and sung in operas, including X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. He has been married to Vicki Bowen since 1976, and they have three children. Brooks remains a respected figure in entertainment and education, though he has largely stepped away from acting in recent years.

     Avery Brooks has been married to Vicki Lenora Brooks since 1976, and they have three children—Asante, Ayana, and Cabral Brooks. His wife has worked as an assistant dean at Rutgers University, where Brooks has also been a tenured professor since 1976.