
Avery Franklin Brooks (born October 2, 1948) is an American actor, director, singer, narrator and educator. He is best known for his television roles as Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and as Dr. Bob Sweeney in the Academy Award–nominated film American History X. Brooks was born in Evansville, Indiana, and raised in Gary, Indiana. He attended Oberlin College, where he studied music and theater. After graduating from Oberlin, he moved to New York City to pursue his acting career.
Brooks's first professional acting role was in the play "The Great White Hope" in 1970. He went on to appear in a number of Broadway productions, including "The Wiz" and "A Chorus Line". He also starred in the television miniseries "Roots" in 1977.
In 1993, Brooks was cast as Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The series ran for seven seasons, and Brooks's performance as Sisko was critically acclaimed. He won a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television in 1995.
After Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended, Brooks continued to work in television and film. He starred in the series "Shark" from 2006 to 2008, and he appeared in the films "American History X" and "The Score".
Brooks is also a talented singer and musician. He has released two albums, "Song of My People" and "The Way I Feel". He is also a gifted director, and he has directed a number of theater productions and television episodes.

American History X
1998 · as Sweeney

15 Minutes
2001 · as Leon Jackson

The Captains
2011 · as Self

The Big Hit
1998 · as Paris

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Emissary
1993 · as Benjamin Sisko

Roots: The Gift
1988 · as Cletus Moyer

Savage Sun
1999 · as Narrator (voice)

Othello
2005 · as Othello

Drain the Ocean
2009 · as Narrator

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
2018 · as Self

Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
1996 · as Self

Uncle Tom's Cabin
1987 · as Uncle Tom

Solomon Northup's Odyssey
1991 · as Solomon Northup

Moments without Proper Names
1987 · as Self

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Way of the Warrior
1995 · as Benjamin Sisko

Finnegan Begin Again
1985 · as Dude on Bus

Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes
1994 · as Hawk

Deep Space Nine: A Bold Beginning
2003 · as Himself