__NOTOC__ Harold Atkins Hunter (April 2, 1974 – February 17, 2006) was an American professional skateboarder and actor. He played the role of Harold in

Larry Clark Lawrence Donald Clark (born January 19, 1943) is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for his controversial teen film ''Kids'' (1995) and his photography book ''Tulsa'' (1971). His work focuses prim ...

's 1995 film ''

Kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...

''.

Career

Hunter was born in New York City and grew up in a

housing project Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...

in the East Village with his two brothers. He became associated with a skate crew that hung out near

Tompkins Square Park Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City, Manhattan, Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by 10th Street (Manhattan), East 10th ...

and

Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...

and was first sponsored by local skate shop called Skate NYC. Hunter first came to public attention in 1989 in a ''

Thrasher Thrashers are a New World group of perching bird, passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family (biology), family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genus, genera. T ...

'' magazine photo essay photographed by Charlie Samuels about the New York City skateboard scene. A

goofy-footed Footedness is the natural preference of one's left or right foot for various purposes. It is the foot equivalent of handedness. While purposes vary, such as applying the greatest force in a certain foot to complete the action of kick as opposed to ...

skateboarder, Hunter was sponsored most notably by Zoo York. Later on he started Rock Star Bearings Co. In 1995, Hunter appeared as Harold in Larry Clark's ''Kids'', a film about teenagers in the East Village. He also appeared in the critically acclaimed TV series ''

Kung Faux ''Kung Faux'' is an international action comedy television series and audiovisual art assemblage created by Mic Neumann, an American creator–developer showrunner, conceptual artist and multimedia entrepreneur, who remixes classic kung fu films ...

'' performing various voice-overs, and on an episode of the TV series ''

Miami Ink ''Miami Ink'' was an American reality show that ran on TLC from 2005–2008 and follows the events that took place at a tattoo shop in Miami Beach, Florida. The show led to several spin-offs, including the shows ''LA Ink'', ''London Ink'', ''N ...

''. 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 World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

. 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. This tattoo is 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 The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

apartment. The Harold Hunter Foundation was founded in his memory to support city kids interested in skateboarding. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.

Filmography

* ''

New Jersey Drive ''New Jersey Drive'' is a 1995 crime drama film written and directed by Nick Gomez and executive produced by Spike Lee. The film is about joyriding teenagers in 1990s Newark, New Jersey, then known as the "car theft capital of the world". The fi ...

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1995) * ''Mind Games'' (1996) * ''Hand on the Pump'' (1998) * ''Frezno Smooth'' (1999) * ''Save the Last Dance'' (2001) * ''

'' (2003) * ''Man Under Wire'' (2005)

References

External links

Harold Hunter Foundation website
*
Threeayedee Art Gallery
created by Roya Butler in memory of Harold Hunter {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Harold 1974 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American skateboarders Cocaine-related deaths in New York (state) Male actors from New York City African-American male actors People from the East Village, Manhattan African-American skateboarders Sportspeople from New York City Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Drug-related deaths in New York City 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople