Hope Clark, 1941 – 2026

Actress, dancer and choreographer Hope Clark, 85, died on July 23. Clark danced with the Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey companies, and appeared on Broadway in West Side Story, Hallelujah Baby, Purlie, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Tempest, Caroline or Change, and A Free Man of Color, among other shows. She also choreographed Jelly’s Last Jam, and a production of Porgy and Bess at the Houston Grand Opera, as well as choreographing shows for The Colored Museum.  She was also a regular presence in films and on TV, from the 1960s through 2023: A Piece of the Action, The Jeffersons, Good Times, The Ropers, The White Shadow, Hill Street Blues, Into the Night, Angel Heart, Basquiat. “As a director, I guess I bring in the female sensibilities,” Clark said. “Since I'm also an actress, I've really tried to develop the characterizations so that the performers don't do a little singing here, and some acting there. And coming from a black perspective, I know how we think, how we feel, what we do. I understand the little things. That makes a difference.”