# Harold Hunter

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{{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](/source/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](/source/professional_skateboarder) and actor. He played the role of Harold in [Larry Clark](/source/Larry_Clark)'s 1995 film ''[Kids](/source/Kids_(film))''.<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](/source/housing_project) in the [East Village](/source/East_Village%2C_Manhattan) 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&ndash;95 }}</ref> He became associated with a skate crew that hung out near [Tompkins Square Park](/source/Tompkins_Square_Park) and [Washington Square Park](/source/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](/source/Thrasher_(magazine))'' 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](/source/Footedness) skateboarder, Hunter was sponsored most notably by [Zoo York](/source/Zoo_York_Skateboard_Company).<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](/source/Kung_Faux)'' performing various voice-overs, and on an episode of the TV series ''[Miami Ink](/source/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](/source/World_Trade_Center_(1973%E2%80%932001)).<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](/source/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](/source/Harold_Hunter_Foundation) was founded in his memory to support city kids interested in skateboarding.<ref name=Marks/> He is buried in [Woodlawn Cemetery](/source/Woodlawn_Cemetery_(Bronx%2C_New_York)) in [The Bronx](/source/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](/source/New_Jersey_Drive)'' (1995)
* ''[Kids](/source/Kids_(film))'' (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](/source/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

{{authority control}}

{{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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Harold Hunter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Hunter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Hunter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.