Charlie Hill

Charles Allan Hill (July 6, 1951 – December 30, 2013) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.[2] He wrote for the television series Roseanne.[3]

For other people named Charlie Hill, see Charlie Hill (disambiguation).

Charlie Hill
Charlie Hill on The Richard Pryor Show, 1977
Born(1951-07-06)July 6, 1951
Detroit, Michigan, United States
DiedDecember 30, 2013(2013-12-30) (aged 62)
Oneida, Wisconsin, United States
OccupationComedian, writer, actor
Years active1978-2010
Spouse(s)
Lenora Hatathlie
​
​
(m. 1980⁠–⁠2013)​
(his death) (4 children)[1]

Early life and education

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1951, he moved as a child with his family when they returned to their homestead on the Oneida reservation in 1962. Hill was, also, of Mohawk and Cree ancestry.

In 1969, he graduated from West De Pere High School and enrolled at University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he majored in speech and drama. He was involved in the Broom Street Theatre Group.

During the early 1970s, he was a member of Hanay Geiogomah's Native American Theatre Ensemble. Among other productions, the ensemble performed Coyote Tracks and Foghorn at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan, where the ensemble was in residence.[4] The ensemble also toured Germany in 1973[5][6] and the United States in 1974.[7]

After college, Hill moved to Los Angeles and worked as an actor and comedian.[8]

Career

Hill's first network appearance was on The Richard Pryor Show in 1974. He was then the first Native American comedian to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.[9] He also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and made multiple appearances on Late Night with David Letterman.[3]

Hill was chosen to host for the First Americans in the Arts awards show in Hollywood three times. One time, he co-hosted with the Oneida singer Joanne Shenandoah.[10] As a stand-up comedian, he appeared in venues internationally and was a regular at The Comedy Store in Hollywood.[11]

Hill appeared on many television shows, and hosted an evening of Native American comedians on a Showtime special. He was the subject of the PBS documentary On and Off The Res' with Charlie Hill (1999), directed by Sandra Osawa.[3]

Hill was interviewed about American Indian Movement activist Dennis Banks in the documentary A Good Day to Die.[12]

Hill starred in the 1984 film Harold of Orange, written by Gerald Vizenor. [13]

Awards and recognition
  • 2009: Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Award
  • 2010: "Native America on the Web" honored Hill for his "lifetime of promoting positive images of Native Peoples and bridging cultural differences through the healing power of humor"

Selected film and television credits

Death

Hill died on December 30, 2013, in Oneida, Wisconsin, after a short battle with lymphoma.[14][15]

References
  1. Rickert, Levi (January 2, 2014). "Native Comedian Charlie Hill's Funeral Ceremony On Friday, January 3". nativenewsonline.com.
  2. Charlie Hill profile. The New York Times. Accessed December 31, 2013.
  3. NPR profile of Charlie Hill. National Public Radio. Accessed December 31, 2013.
  4. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Native American Theatre Ensemble's Coyote Tracks and Foghorn (1973)". Accessed February 15, 2020.
  5. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Tour + Troupe Files ➔ Program: "Coon Tracks the Coyote" and "Foghorn" (Berlin)". February 15, 2020.
  6. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Core Photograph Files ➔ Production Photographs: "Foghorn" in Berlin (1973)". Accessed February 15, 2020.
  7. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Tour + Troupe Files ➔ Reviews, Programs, Correspondence: Native American Theatre Ensemble US Tour (1974)". Accessed February 15, 2020.
  8. "Ryan Funeral Home & Crematory | De Pere, WI". RyanFH.com. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  9. Kendra Meinert, "Groundbreaking Oneida comedian Charlie Hill dies at 62" Green Bay Press-Gazette, December 31, 2013. Accessed May 26, 2014.
  10. Charlie Hill: The Indian Spirit is American Archived January 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (Kumeyeaay).
  11. "Charles Hill" Archived December 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, The Comedy Store.
  12. "A Good Day to Die transcript". Journeyman.tv.
  13. "Best Native Films in Variety".
  14. "Indian Country Today Media Network: Comedian Charlie Hill Walks On". Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  15. ""Warrior of Comedy" Charlie Hill Has Walked On at 62". Native News Online. December 30, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
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