Hinton Battle (born November 29, 1956) played Thames, the evil Observer from the future, in the final installment of the Evil Leaper trilogy of episodes titled "Revenge of The Evil Leaper" in Season 5 Quantum Leap. A talented actor, dancer, and dance instructor. He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical. He was the first to portray the Scarecrow in the stage version of The Wiz (a role assumed by Michael Jackson in the 1978 film adaptation).