theatrical director and playwright, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of John Hill and Minnie (maiden name unknown). His father, a fireman on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, participated in salary protests that forced him to leave the railroad after World War I; he then became a housepainter.
Abram appeared at the Morehouse College Chapel at the age of seven but did not pursue an interest in the stage. At the age of fourteen he fell ill with a severe case of pneumonia and spent two months in a hospital. The experience inspired him to become a surgeon, and in 1925 the Hill family moved to New York City to provide Abram with more educational opportunities. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School and graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1929 Hill then spent three years working at Macy s department store as an elevator operator while ...
