Charlie Hill

Charlie Hill
Charles Allan Hill (July 6, 1951 – December 30, 2013) was one of the first Native American stand-up comedians, to appear on major television shows such as the Richard Pryor Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman, Roseanne and Moesha. He was a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, with heritage from the Mohawk and Cree Nations. He wrote for the television series Roseanne and co-produced and hosted a Showtime special called The American Indian Comedy Slam: Goin Native No Reservations Needed. Charlie Hill was the first Native stand-up comedian ever to perform on national television, making his network debut on the Richard Pryor Show in 1977. He then went on to become the first Native comedian to perform on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
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.
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 in Madison, WI.
During the early 1970s, he was a member of the 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. The ensemble also toured Germany in 1973 and the United States in 1974.
After college, Hill moved to New York City to study acting and later to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a professional stand-up comedian.
Career
In the 1970s, Hill earned a spot to perform at Hollywood's famous Comedy Store, a scouting ground for major network TV. There, he became fast friends with some of the top comedians at the time. Having made a name for himself at the age of 26, Hill received a once in a lifetime opportunity to debut on The Richard Pryor Show. Hill's first network appearance was on The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. He also appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and made multiple appearances on Late Night with David Letterman.
Hill appeared on the Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show several times.
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.
Hill was interviewed about American Indian Movement activist Dennis Banks in the documentary A Good Day to Die.
Hill starred in the 1984 film Harold of Orange, written by Gerald Vizenor.
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"
2012: Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award for his exceptional work as a Native artist.
2022: On July 6, the Google Doodle was dedicated to Hill in recognition of his challenging harmful stereotypes in the entertainment industry as well as being the first Native comedian to be on national television.
Selected film and television credits
2010: A Good Day to Die (Hill is interviewed about Dennis Banks)
2009: Reel Injun (documentary; comedy routine by Hill)
2009: Goin' Native: The Indian Comedy Slam – No Reservations Needed (television film)
2009: The Longest Walk Through Hollywood (documentary)
2004–2006: Late Show with David Letterman
2005: CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival (television series)
2004: City Confidential (television documentary)
1999: On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill (documentary)
1996: White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men (documentary short)
1996: Moesha (television series)
1995: Roseanne
1993: North of 60 (television series)
1992: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1986: Impure Thoughts
1985: MacGruder and Loud (television series)
1985: Spenser (television series)
1985: Late Night with David Letterman
1984: Earthlings (television film)
1984: Harold of Orange (short film)
1980: The Big Show (television series)
1978: The Bionic Woman (television series)
1977: The Richard Pryor Show
Death
Hill died on December 30, 2013, in Oneida, Wisconsin, of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
References
External links
Hill's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
1951 births
2013 deaths
Deaths from lymphoma
American male comedians
Native American male actors
American television writers
American male television writers
American male television actors
Male actors from Wisconsin
Male actors from Detroit
People from Oneida, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin
Screenwriters from Wisconsin
Screenwriters from Michigan
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
Comedians from Wisconsin
Comedians from Michigan
Native American screenwriters
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American male writers
Native American people from Michigan
Oneida Nation of Wisconsin people