Harry Belafonte Bio

Harry Belafonte

Activist, actor, and musician Harry Belafonte was born Harold George Belafonte Jr. on March 1, 1927, in Harlem, New York. The son of Caribbean-born immigrants, Belafonte moved to Jamaica at age eight with his mother, where they lived for the next five years. After returning to the U.S., Belafonte dropped out of high school to enlist in the Navy. Following his discharge, Belafonte made a home back in New York City , where he began performing with the American Negro Theatre. At this time, Belafonte also studied drama at the famed Dramatic Workshop, alongside such formidable actors as Marlon Brando and Tony Curtis.

Belafonte eventually carved his niche singing in cabarets, and even opened his own club. During the 50s, he discovered West Indian music as well as folk music, which he learned through studying the Library of Congress's American folk songs archives. In 1953, Belafonte made his debut at the Village Vanguard jazz club. He also made his film debut that year in Bright Road, starring alongside Dorothy Dandridge. The following year, Belafonte was recognized with a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in John Murray Anderson's Almanac.

Belafonte’s star rose in Hollywood with his lead role in the big screen adaptation of Carmen Jones in 1954. Meanwhile, he continued to juggle music with acting, signing with RCA to release his album Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites in 1956. His next album, Belafonte, reached number one on the charts and his following album, Calypso, also released in 1956, featured the song for which he is best known, "Banana Boat (Day-O)", and topped the charts for thirty-one weeks. As the 50s drew to a close, Belafonte shifted his focus to concentrate more on his film work, starring in the controversial film, Island in the Sun, which dealt with interracial affairs. In 1959, he released the LP Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, which would go on to grace the charts for over three years.

At the dawn of the 60s, Belafonte became television's first black producer, and received an Emmy for his special, Tonight with Harry Belafonte. In 1962, he released the album The Midnight Special, featuring a first-ever recorded piece by an upcoming harmonica player known as Bob Dylan.

As the British Invasion ushered in the sounds of the Beatles during the late 60s, Belafonte’s commercial success dwindled. His 1969 album, Homeward Bound, would be his last appearance on the Billboard charts. Belafonte then switched his focus back to acting, starring in The Angel Levine, his first feature film appearance in over a decade. He also continued to focus on his civil rights activism at this time, which he first began in the 50s as one of Martin Luther King's close confidants.

The 70s and 80s saw Belafonte contributing more time and effort to humanitarianism. In 1985, he was a central part of for Africa’s famine relief initiative, and sang on the Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson-penned anthem "We Are the World." In 1986, Belafonte became UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador.

During the mid-90s, Belafonte returned to film for a number of roles, notably the reverse-racism drama White Man's Burden and Robert Altman's jazz-era film Kansas City . Belafonte gave his last concert in 2003, and has since stated in an interview that he has retired from performing.

In recent years, Belafonte has been a very vocal critic of the Bush administration. During a 2006 Martin Luther King Day speech at Duke University, Belafonte compared the American government to the 9/11 highjackers, stating, "What is the difference between that terrorist and other terrorists?"


In 2006, Belafonte played the role of Nelson, an employee of the Ambassador Hotel, in Emilio Estevez's star-studded film Bobby, acting alongside Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, William H Macy, Elijah Wood, Lindsay Lohan, Helen Hunt, Heather Graham, and Christian Slater. Also in 2006, Belafonte was the recipient of the BET Humanitarian Award.

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Facts:

  • Harry Belafonte - Studied drama alongside Marlon Brando .
  • Harry Belafonte - His album 'The Midnight Special' featured Bob Dylan .
  • Harry Belafonte - Sang on the Lionel Richie /Michael Jackson penned anthem 'We Are The World.'