Herbie Hancock
Known for Sound · 101 credits
- Born
- 1940-04-12 (age 86)
- Place of birth
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Also known as
- Herbert Jeffrey Hancock · Herbert Hancock
Biography
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet", Hancock helped redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section, and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace synthesizers and funk. Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Hancock's best-known solo works include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965.
As a member of Soka Gakkai, Hancock is an adherent of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism.
Known For
TV Shows (16)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Musical Guest
Great Performances
1971
as Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Girl Meets World
2014
as Self
Classic Albums
1997
as Self
Kulturzeit
1995
as self
Jay Leno's Garage
2015
as Self
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
1972
as Self
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
2015
as Self
ECHO-Verleihung
1992
as Self
Rock Concert
1973
as Self
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
2020
as Self
The Grammys
1959
as Self
Movies (85)
Tuner
2026
as Herbie Hancock
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017
as Defence Minister
Indecent Proposal
1993
as Himself
'Round Midnight
1986
as Eddie Wayne
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
2009
as Self
Miles Ahead
2016
as Live Concert Band
A Man's Story
2011
as Self
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
2019
as Self - Musician
That Click
2019
as Self
Before Midnight
1986
as Self (archive footage)
Kareem: Minority of One
2015
as Self
A MusiCares Tribute To Barbra Streisand
2011
as Self - Performer
Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind
2003
as Self
Hitters
2002
as District Attorney
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018
as Self
Joni Mitchell - The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song
2023
as Self
Celebrity Guide to Wine
1990
as Self
I Love Quincy
1984
as Self
They All Came Out to Montreux
2023
as Self
Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz
1997
as Self
Keep On Keepin' On
2014
as Self
It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story
2018
as Self
Music
2010
as Self
On the Shoulders of Giants
2011
Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis
1986
as Self
Jacob Collier: In the Room Where It Happens
2022
Herbie Hancock - The River Of Possibilities Tour - Jazz a Vienne
2008
as Piano
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments
2004
as Self
The Making of Sun City
1985
as Self
Herbie Hancock: Possibilities
2006
as Self
Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux
2008
as Self
Miles Davis: Around Midnight
2011
as Piano
All-Star Jazz Show: Live from The Ed Sullivan Theater
2011
as Self
Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
1995
as Self
The Neville Brothers: Tell It Like It Is
1991
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes
2019
as Self
River of Gold
2016
as Narrator
Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions
1987
as Himself
Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute
1995
as Self - Pianist
Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band
as Self
Buster Williams Bass to Infinity
2019
as Himself
Charles Lloyd - Arrows Into Infinity
2014
as Piano
Marcus
2015
as Self
Don Lewis and The Live Electronic Orchestra
2024
as Self
Branford Marsalis: Steep
1991
as Self
The Girls in the Band
2011
Miles Davis Quintet: Milan 1964
1964
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
2008
as Self
International Jazz Day Australia Concert 2019
2019
as Self
Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock - Live in Berlin
2012
as Himself
Larry presents: Best of The 80s
2004
as Self
Henry Mancini: 100 at the Hollywood Bowl
2024
as Self
Herbie
2025
as Self (Archives)
Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue
2004
as Self
Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound
2008
as Self
Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux 1996
1996
Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band Live in London
as Themself
More Than Jazz
2016
as Himself
Hargrove
2022
as Self
Live at Munich Summer Piano Festiva
1988
Marcus Miller - Master Of All Trades
2006
as Self
Jazz Under the Skies
1990
as Self
Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux
2004
Jazz at the White House
2016
as Self
Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes
2022
as Self
Dejohnette, Hancock, Holland and Metheny in Concert
1990
Tribute to Miles - Jazz à Vienne
2011
as Himself
Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock Celebrate Gershwin
2011
Herbie Hancock Future2future Live
2002
as Himself
Experience Montreux
2013
as Self
Miles Davis - At La Villette
1991
as Himself
DeJohnette, Metheny, Holland, Hancock - Parallel Realities Live
2010
as Himself
Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane!
1984
as Self - Piano
One Night with Blue Note
2004
as Self
Herbie Hancock At The Munich Summer Piano Festival
1987
as Himself
Herbie Hancock - Live at SummerStage 2022
2022
as Self
Prachtig 80: Volume 2
2003
as Self
World of Rhythm - Live in Lugano
2002
as Self
The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock
2002
as Himself
Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland: Parallel Realities Live... (Live at Mellon Jazz Festival)
1990
as Keyboards
Herbie Hancock: Jazz Channel
2001
as Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock Special
2004
Herbie Hancock Trio - Full Concert - 08/14/88 - Newport Jazz Festival
2014
as Self
PBS Soundstage 1974: Chick Corea & Return to Forever + Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters
1974
Chick Corea: The Musician
2017
as Self
About Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet", Hancock helped redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section, and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace synthesizers and funk. Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements… With 101 credits spanning from 1959 to 2026, Herbie Hancock has appeared in 85 films and 16 TV shows.
Fans searching for Herbie Hancock movies, Herbie Hancock filmography, or the latest projects starring Herbie Hancock can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Herbie Hancock Movies
- Tuner (2026) — as Herbie Hancock
- Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) — as Defence Minister
- Indecent Proposal (1993) — as Himself
- 'Round Midnight (1986) — as Eddie Wayne
- We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial (2009) — as Self
Where to Watch Herbie Hancock Films
Most Herbie Hancock movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Herbie Hancock, check our movies catalogue and browse page.