Harry Belafonte Photo

Harry Belafonte

Acting

3.3 Popularity Mar 01, 1927 (96 years old) New York City, New York, USA

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor and activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s. Belafonte is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT),...

Biography

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor and activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s. Belafonte is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category. He earned his career breakthrough with the album Calypso (1956), which was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child". He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final screen appearance in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson a mentor, and he was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations. Belafonte acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category.

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Filmography 157

2024
Following Harry Movie

as Self (archive footage)

2024
The Greatest Night in Pop Movie

as Self (archive footage)

2023
Sunday Best Movie

as Self

2022
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Movie

as Self - Inductee (archive footage)

2022
Sidney Movie

as Self

2022
Harry Belafonte: Between Calypso and Justice Movie

as Self - Subject (archive footage)

2020
Nana Mouskouri, Momente ihres Lebens Movie

as Self (archive footage)

2020
TV Story Superstar TV

as Self (archive footage)

2018
BlacKkKlansman Movie

as Jerome Turner

2018
Mr. SOUL! Movie

as Self

2018

Photos 3

Harry Belafonte Photo
Harry Belafonte Photo
Harry Belafonte Photo

Personal Details

Known For Acting
Gender Not specified
Birthday March 01, 1927 (96 years old)
Died April 25, 2023
Place of Birth New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.
Years Active 1948 - 2025
Popularity 3.3
Career Stats
157 Total Credits
87 Movie Roles
59 TV Roles
3 Photos