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Harold Hunter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Harold Hunter, see Harold Hunter (disambiguation).

Harold Hunter
Hunter in Times Square, 1989
Born
Harold Atkins Hunter

(1974-04-02)April 2, 1974
New York City, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 2006(2006-02-17) (aged 31)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Professional skateboarder, actor

Harold Atkins Hunter (April 2, 1974 – February 17, 2006)[1] was an American professional skateboarder and actor. He played the role of Harold in Larry Clark's 1995 film Kids.[2]

Career

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Hunter was born in New York City and grew up in a housing project in the East Village with his two brothers.[3][4] He became associated with a skate crew that hung out near Tompkins Square Park and Washington Square Park and was first sponsored by local skate shop called Skate NYC.

Hunter first came to public attention in 1989 in a Thrasher magazine photo essay photographed by Charlie Samuels[5] about the New York City skateboard scene. A goofy-footed skateboarder, Hunter was sponsored most notably by Zoo York.[6] Later on he started Rock Star Bearings Co.[7]

In 1995, Hunter appeared as Harold in Larry Clark's Kids, a film about teenagers in the East Village.[1][4] He also appeared in the critically acclaimed TV series Kung Faux performing various voice-overs, and on an episode of the TV series Miami Ink.[8] In the episode, he received a tattoo from Chris Garver that commemorated his New York roots and his connections from his youth with the World Trade Center.[8] The tattoo was on his upper arm and depicted the towers with a skateboarder jumping in front of them, with the words "New York City" above and "Sk-8 or Die" below.[8] This tattoo is revisited in another episode of Miami Ink that focuses on Chris Garver's tattoos.[9]

Death

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On February 17, 2006, Hunter was found dead from a cocaine-induced heart attack in his Lower East Side apartment.[1][10] The Harold Hunter Foundation was founded in his memory to support city kids interested in skateboarding.[4] He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.[11]

Filmography

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  • New Jersey Drive (1995)
  • Kids (1995)
  • Mind Games (1996)
  • Hand on the Pump (1998)
  • Common- One-Nine-Nine-Nine(music video) (1999)
  • Frezno Smooth (1999)
  • Save the Last Dance (2001)
  • Kung Faux (2003)
  • Man Under Wire (2005)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kilgannon, Corey (February 25, 2006). "Harold Hunter, 31, Skateboarder With Celebrity Appeal, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  2. ^ Detrick, Ben (July 21, 2015). "'Kids,' Then and Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Rothstein, Caroline (May 2, 2013). "Legends Never Die". narratively. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Calhoun, Ada (2016). St. Mark's Is Dead: The Many Lives of America's Hippest Street. New York / London: Norton. pp. 288–95. ISBN 978-0-393-24038-2.
  5. ^ "charliesamuels.com". Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "Harold Hunter, Zoo York Skateboard Pro, Dies at 31". skateboarddirectory.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Riggio, Jay. "History". Rockstarbearings.com. Rock Star Bearings. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c Hudson, Karen L. "Miami Ink Synopsis - April 4, 2006 - Goodbye Freedom". about style. about.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Episode #1.21, Miami Ink, Harold Hunter, April 5, 2006, retrieved December 28, 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ Sommers, Michael A. (2008). Cocaine. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 25. ISBN 978-1-4042-1379-1.
  11. ^ "Black History | Woodlawn Cemetery • Crematory • Conservancy". www.woodlawn.org. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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