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Harold Hunter

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For other people named Harold Hunter, see Harold Hunter (disambiguation).
Harold Hunter
Hunter in Times Square, New York City (1989) photo by Charlie Samuels
Born
Harold Atkins Hunter

(1974-04-02)April 2, 1974
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 2006(2006-02-17) (aged 31)
New York City , New York, U.S.
Cause of deathDrug-related heart attack
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 reality-based 1995 film Kids.

Career

Hunter was born in New York City and grew up in a housing project in the East Village with his two brothers.[2][3] 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 "Skate NYC".

Hunter first came to public attention in 1989 in a Thrasher magazine photo essay photographed by Charlie Samuels[4] about the New York City skateboard scene. A goofy-footed skateboarder, Hunter was sponsored most notably by Zoo York.[5] Later on he started Rock Star Bearings Co.[6]

In 1995 Hunter appeared as Harold in Larry Clark's Kids, a film about teenagers in the East Village.[1][3] 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.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7] This tattoo is also revisited in another episode of Miami Ink that focuses on Chris Garver's tattoos.

Death

On February 17, 2006, Hunter was found dead from a cocaine-induced heart attack in his Lower East Side apartment.[1][8] The Harold Hunter Foundation was founded in his memory to support city kids interested in skateboarding.[3] He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.

Filmography

  • New Jersey Drive (film) (1995)
  • Kids (1995)
  • Mind Games (1996)
  • Hand on the Pump (1998)
  • Frezno Smooth (1999)
  • Save the last Dance (2001)
  • Kung Faux (2003)
  • Man Under Wire (2005)

References

  1. ^ a b c Kilgannon, Corey (2006-02-25). "Harold Hunter, 31, Skateboarder With Celebrity Appeal, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-05. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Rothstein, Caroline (May 2, 2013). "Legends Never Die". narratively. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "charliesamuels.com".
  5. ^ "Harold Hunter, Zoo York Skateboard Pro, Dies at 31". skateboarddirectory.com.
  6. ^ Riggio, Jay. "History". Rockstarbearings.com. Rock Star Bearings. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Hudson, Karen L. "Miami Ink Synopsis - April 4, 2006 - Goodbye Freedom". about style. about.com. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  8. ^ Sommers, Michael A. (2008). Cocaine. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 25. ISBN 1-4042-1379-1.
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