{{short description|American skateboarder and actor (1974–2006)}} {{other people}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}} __NOTOC__ {{Infobox person | name = Harold Hunter | image = Harold_hunter.png | caption = Hunter in Times Square, 1989 | birth_name = Harold Atkins Hunter | birth_date = {{Birth date|1974|4|2|mf=y}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2006|2|17|1974|4|2|mf=y}} | death_place = New York City, U.S. | resting_place = | occupation = {{hlist|Professional skateboarder|actor}} | years_active = 1989–2006 }}
'''Harold Atkins Hunter''' (April 2, 1974 – February 17, 2006)<ref name=times /> was an American professional skateboarder and actor. He played the role of Harold in Larry Clark's 1995 film ''Kids''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Detrick|first=Ben|date=2015-07-21|title='Kids,' Then and Now|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/fashion/kids-20th-anniversary-chloe-sevigny-rosario-dawson.html|access-date=2021-04-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==Career== Hunter was born in New York City and grew up in a housing project in the East Village with his two brothers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rothstein|first1=Caroline|title=Legends Never Die|url=http://narrative.ly/stories/legends-never-die/|website=narratively|access-date=28 September 2014|date=May 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Marks>{{cite book |first=Ada |last=Calhoun |title=St. Mark's Is Dead: The Many Lives of America's Hippest Street |location=New York / London |publisher=Norton |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-393-24038-2 |pages=288–95 }}</ref> 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<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charliesamuels.com/|title=charliesamuels.com|access-date=2014-03-18|archive-date=2018-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410233424/http://www.charliesamuels.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> about the New York City skateboard scene. A goofy-footed skateboarder, Hunter was sponsored most notably by Zoo York.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skateboarddirectory.com/articles/673596_harold_hunter_zoo_york.html|title=Harold Hunter, Zoo York Skateboard Pro, Dies at 31|publisher=skateboarddirectory.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902041448/http://skateboarddirectory.com/articles/673596_harold_hunter_zoo_york.html|archive-date=2007-09-02}}</ref> Later on he started Rock Star Bearings Co.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Riggio|first1=Jay|title=History|url=http://rockstarbearings.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155&Itemid=59|website=Rockstarbearings.com|publisher=Rock Star Bearings|access-date=2 October 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006072257/http://rockstarbearings.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155&Itemid=59|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1995, Hunter appeared as Harold in Larry Clark's ''Kids'', a film about teenagers in the East Village.<ref name=times/><ref name=Marks/> 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''.<ref name=ink>{{cite web|last1=Hudson|first1=Karen L.|title=Miami Ink Synopsis - April 4, 2006 - Goodbye Freedom|url=http://tattoo.about.com/od/tattoosgeneralinfo/a/miamiink040406.htm|website=about style|publisher=about.com|access-date=3 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006133202/http://tattoo.about.com/od/tattoosgeneralinfo/a/miamiink040406.htm|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name=ink /> 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.<ref name=ink /> This tattoo is revisited in another episode of ''Miami Ink'' that focuses on Chris Garver's tattoos.<ref>{{Citation |title=Episode #1.21 |date=2006-04-05 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1121570/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |series=Miami Ink |others=Harold Hunter}}</ref>
==Death== On February 17, 2006, Hunter was found dead from a cocaine-induced heart attack in his Lower East Side apartment.<ref name=times>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/25/nyregion/25hunter.html?_r=1|title=Harold Hunter, 31, Skateboarder With Celebrity Appeal, Dies |last=Kilgannon|first=Corey|date=2006-02-25|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2008-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Sommers|first=Michael A. |title=Cocaine|url=https://archive.org/details/cocaine0000somm|url-access=registration|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2008|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cocaine0000somm/page/25 25]|isbn=978-1-4042-1379-1}}</ref> The Harold Hunter Foundation was founded in his memory to support city kids interested in skateboarding.<ref name=Marks/> He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black History {{!}} Woodlawn Cemetery • Crematory • Conservancy |url=https://www.woodlawn.org/conservancy/notable-residents/black-history/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=www.woodlawn.org}}</ref>
== Filmography == * ''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== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://haroldhunter.org/ Harold Hunter Foundation website] * {{IMDb name|id=0402833|name=Harold Hunter}} * [http://www.threeayedee.com Threeayedee Art Gallery] created by Roya Butler in memory of Harold Hunter
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Harold}} Category:1974 births Category:2006 deaths Category:20th-century African-American male actors Category:20th-century American male actors Category:American male film actors Category:American skateboarders Category:Cocaine-related deaths in New York (state) Category:Male actors from Manhattan Category:People from the East Village, Manhattan Category:African-American skateboarders Category:Sportspeople from New York City Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Category:Drug-related deaths in New York City Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen Category:21st-century American sportsmen