Actor, Singer & Civil Rights Icon Harry Belafonte Dies at Age 96
A star of stage and music, he was a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Harry Belafonte in 'The Angel Levine.'
Harry Belafonte was born on March 1, 1927, in Harlem. He was later sent by his mother to her island of birth, Jamaica. When World War II broke out, he returned to New York and later enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was honorably discharged and again returned to New York, where he worked several jobs before finding himself drawn to the Dramatic Workshop of the New School of Social Research under the tutelage of renowned German director Erwin Piscator, where he was classmates with the likes of Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis and Walter Matthau.
Belafonte's Music
Music was where Belafonte made just one of his marks on culture and the world in general. His 1954 debut album “Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites” reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. His next two LPs, both released in 1956, would top the chart:
His signature tune was “Banana Boat (Day-O),” based on a Jamaican folk song. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1957 and No. 2 in the UK. “Mary’s Boy Child,” from Calypso, topped the UK singles chart and reached No. 12 in the U.S.
In all, Belafonte scored a half-dozen gold albums in the U.S., all of which also made the Top 10. His 1962 disc "The Midnight Special" featured one Bob Dylan on harmonica, marking the future legend’s first officially released recording. He won two career Grammy Awards and nine other nominations, including at the first three Grammys in 1958, 1959 and 1960.
His Acting Career
On the acting front, he was one of the first Black leading men in Hollywood, making a name for himself during the 1950s and ’60s. His movie resume includes ‘Carmen Jones’, ‘Odds Against Tomorrow’ ‘The Player’, and more, while his music adorns many a soundtrack from ‘Beetlejuice’ to ‘Paddington 2’.
Carmen Jones
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His Life as an Activist
An activist and social campaigner by nature, he was an early supporter of the Civil Rights movement and became a major figure in the American social and political history of the 20th century and a close friend and confidante of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Belafonte’s global popularity and his commitment to our cause is a key ingredient to the global struggle for freedom and a powerful tactical weapon in the Civil Rights movement here in America,” King once said of Belafonte. “We are blessed by his courage and moral integrity.”
Belafonte was a leading figure in ending apartheid, as well as freeing Nelson Mandela. When Mandela was eventually freed, Belafonte was chosen by the African National Congress to organize Mandela’s tour of America, and later was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to be the cultural advisor for the Peace Corps. In 1987, Belafonte became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, making him just the second American to do so.
He is survived by his wife, daughters Shari, Adrienne and Gina and son David, and numerous grandchildren.
Harry Belafonte in Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman.'
Harry Belafonte Movies:
- 'Bright Road' (1953)
- ‘Carmen Jones' (1954)
- 'Island in the Sun' (1957)
- 'The World, the Flesh and the Devil' (1959)
- ‘Odds Against Tomorrow' (1959)
- 'The Angel Levine' (1970)
- 'Buck and the Preacher' (1972)
- 'Uptown Saturday Night' (1974)
- ‘The Player' (1992)
- 'Ready to Wear' (1994)
- 'White Man's Burden' (1995)
- 'Kansas City' (1996)
- 'Bobby' (2006)
- 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018)
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