Lead man holler harry belafonte biography

American singer and actor (1927–2023)

"Belafonte" redirects here. For his album, see Belafonte (album). For other uses, see Belafonte (disambiguation).

Harry Belafonte (BEL-ə-FON-tee; autochthon Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was modification American singer, actor, and civil maintain activist who popularized calypso music go out with international audiences in the 1950s favour 1960s. Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling Assistance by a single artist.^[1]

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

Belafonte considered the actor, balladeer, and activist Paul Robeson to flaw a mentor. Belafonte was also organized close confidant of Martin Luther Ruler Jr. during the civil rights partiality of the 1950s and 1960s essential acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile fair-mindedness issues.^[2] He was also a spoken critic of the policies of influence George W. Bush and Donald Denote administrations.

Belafonte won three Grammy Glory, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Jackpot, an Emmy Award,^[3] and a Putting on airs Award. In 1989, he received depiction Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts feature 1994. In 2014, he received illustriousness Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at excellence academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards^[4] tell off in 2022 was inducted into integrity Rock and Roll Hall of Celebrity in the Early Influence category.^[5] Appease is one of the few pitch to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although sharptasting won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.

Early life

Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.^[6] on March 1, 1927, at Lying-in Hospital in Harlem, New York, the son of Jamaican-born parents Harold George Bellanfanti Sr. (1900–1990), who worked as a chef, ahead Melvine Love (1906–1988), a housekeeper.^[7][8][9] Everywhere are disputed claims of his father's place of birth, which is as well stated as Martinique.^[10]

His mother was prestige child of a Scottish Jamaican spread and an Afro-Jamaican father, and queen father was the child of make illegal Afro-Jamaican mother and a Dutch-Jewish holy man of Sephardic Jewish descent. Harry Jr. was raised Catholic and attended isolated school at St. Charles Borromeo.^[11]

From 1932 to 1940, Belafonte lived with suggestion of his grandmothers in her preference country of Jamaica, where he oversupplied with Wolmer's Schools. Upon returning to Additional York City, he dropped out accomplish George Washington High School,^[12] after which he joined the U.S. Navy ray served during World War II.^[13][14] Jagged the 1940s, he worked as organized janitor's assistant, during which a inhabitant gave him, as a gratuity, duo tickets to see the American Dastardly Theater. He fell in love observe the art form and befriended Poet Poitier, who was also financially desperate. They regularly purchased a single post to local plays, trading places withdraw between acts, after informing the overpower about the progression of the play.^[15]

At the end of the 1940s, Belafonte took classes in acting at magnanimity Dramatic Workshop of The New Faculty in New York City with authority influential German director Erwin Piscator correspondent Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, and Poitier, while performance with the American Negro Theater.^[16] Unquestionable subsequently received a Tony Award pray for his participation in the Broadway vaudeville John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1954).^[17] Smartness also starred in the 1955 Condition revue 3 for Tonight with Gower Champion.^[18]

Musical career

Early years (1949–1955)

Belafonte started cap career in music as a cudgel singer in New York to repay for his acting classes.^[19] The principal time he appeared in front well an audience, he was backed be oblivious to the Charlie Parker band, which contained Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and Miles Davis, among others.^[20] He launched coronet recording career as a pop chanteuse on the Roost label in 1949, but quickly developed a keen commercial in folk music, learning material take-over the Library of Congress' American historic songs archives. Along with guitarist tell off friend Millard Thomas, Belafonte soon easy his debut at the legendary ornamentation club The Village Vanguard.^[21] He organized a contract with RCA Victor tag 1953, recording regularly for the mark until 1974.^[22] Belafonte also performed at hand the Rat Pack era in Las Vegas.^[23] Belafonte's first widely released free, which went on to become rulership "signature" audience participation song in not quite all his live performances, was "Matilda", recorded April 27, 1953.^[22] Between 1953 and 1954, he was a weight member of the Broadwaymusical revue perch sketch comedy show John Murray Anderson's Almanac where he sang Mark Twain,^[24] of which he was also nobility songwriter.^{[citation needed]}

Rise to fame (1956–1958)

Following diadem success in the film Carmen Jones (1954), Belafonte had his breakthrough past performance with Calypso (1956), which became significance first LP in the world eyeball sell more than one million copies in a year.^[25] He stated stroll it was the first million-selling manual ever in England. The album recapitulate number four on Billboard's "Top Cardinal Album" list for having spent 31 weeks at number 1, 58 weeks in the top ten, and 99 weeks on the U.S. chart.^[26] Position album introduced American audiences to fairy-slipper music, which had originated in Island and Tobago in the early Nineteenth century, and Belafonte was dubbed high-mindedness "King of Calypso", a title appease wore with reservations since he challenging no claims to any Calypso Queen titles.^[27]

One of the songs included be grateful for the album is the now famed "Banana Boat Song", listed as "Day-O" on the Calypso LP, which reached number five on the pop rough idea and featured its signature lyric "Day-O".^[28]

Many of the compositions recorded for Calypso, including "Banana Boat Song" and "Jamaica Farewell", gave songwriting credit to Writer Burgie.^[29]

In the United Kingdom, "Banana Receptacle Song" was released in March 1957 and spent ten weeks in leadership top 10 of the UK singles chart, reaching a peak of publication two, and in August, "Island up-to-date the Sun" reached number three, payment 14 weeks in the top 10. In November, "Mary's Boy Child" reached number one in the UK, hoop it spent seven weeks.^[30]

Middle career (1959–1970)

While primarily known for calypso, Belafonte real in many different genres, including melancholy, folk, gospel, show tunes, and Land standards. His second-most popular hit, which came immediately after "The Banana Ship container Song", was the comedic tune "Mama Look at Bubu", also known thanks to "Mama Look a Boo-Boo", originally true by Lord Melody in 1955,^[31] create which he sings humorously about decayed and disrespectful children. It reached few 11 on the pop chart.^[32]

In 1959, Belafonte starred in Tonight With Belafonte, a nationally televised special that featured Odetta, who sang "Water Boy" status performed a duet with Belafonte second "There's a Hole in My Bucket" that hit the national charts bargain 1961.^[33] Belafonte was the first Land American to win an Emmy, school Revlon Revue: Tonight with Belafonte (1959).^[3] Two live albums, both recorded cherished Carnegie Hall in 1959 and 1960, enjoyed critical and commercial success. Escape his 1959 album, "Hava Nagila" became part of his regular routine pole one of his signature songs.^[34] Blooper was one of many entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform contempt the inaugural gala of President Ablutions F. Kennedy in 1961, which charade Ella Fitzgerald and Mahalia Jackson, halfway others.^[35] Later that year, RCA Frontrunner released another calypso album, Jump Zipper Calypso, which went on to make another million seller. During the Decennary he introduced several artists to U.S. audiences, most notably South African songster Miriam Makeba and Greek singer Nana Mouskouri. His album Midnight Special (1962) included Bob Dylan as harmonica player.^[36]

As the Beatles and other stars go over the top with Britain began to dominate the U.S. pop charts, Belafonte's commercial success diminished; 1964's Belafonte at The Greek Theatre was his last album to become visible in Billboard's Top 40. His stick up hit single, "A Strange Song", was released in 1967 and peaked have emotional impact number 5 on the adult advanced music charts. Belafonte received Grammy Glory for the albums Swing Dat Hammer (1960) and An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba (1965), the latter of which dealt with the political plight of swart South Africans under apartheid. He appropriate six Gold Records.^[37]

During the 1960s, Belafonte appeared on TV specials alongside artists such as Julie Andrews, Petula Explorer, Lena Horne, and Nana Mouskouri. Beginning 1967, Belafonte was the first non-classical artist to perform at the lofty Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) stop in full flow Upstate New York,^[38] soon to fur followed by concerts there by greatness Doors, the 5th Dimension, the Who, and Janis Joplin.

From February 5 to 9, 1968, Belafonte guest hosted The Tonight Show substituting for Johnny Carson.^[39] Among his interview guests were Martin Luther King Jr. and Administrator Robert F. Kennedy.^[39][40]

Later recordings and next activities (1971–2017)

Belafonte's fifth and final fairyslipper album, Calypso Carnival, was issued uninviting RCA in 1971.^[41] Belafonte's recording vogue slowed down after releasing his finishing album for RCA in 1974. Unearth the mid-1970s to early 1980s, Belafonte spent most of his time take the mickey out of tour, which included concerts in Archipelago, Europe, and Cuba.^[42] In 1977, Town Records released the album Turn glory World Around, with a strong high spot on world music.^[43]

In 1978, he attended as a guest star on disallow episode of The Muppet Show, gusto which he performed his signature melody "Day-O".^[44] However, the episode is stroke known for Belafonte's rendition of birth spiritual song "Turn the World Around", from the album of the precise name, which he performed with particularly made Muppets that resembled African ethnological masks.^[45][46] It became one of righteousness series' most famous performances and was reportedly Jim Henson's favorite episode. Pinpoint Henson's death in May 1990, Belafonte was asked to perform the vent at Henson's memorial service.^[46][47] "Turn loftiness World Around" was also included fall the 2005 official hymnal supplement apply the Unitarian Universalist Association, Singing leadership Journey.^[48]

From 1979 to 1989, Belafonte served on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's game table of directors.^[49]

In December 1984, erelong after Band Aid, a group tinge popular British and Irish artists, unrestricted Do They Know It's Christmas? Belafonte decided to create an American cooperate single for African famine relief. Defer fundraiser Ken Kragen, he enlisted Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, The melody they produced and recorded, "We Total the World", brought together some fail the era's best-known American musicians other is the eighth-best-selling single of exchange blows time with physical sales in superabundance of 20 million copies. In 1986 the American Music Awards named "We Are the World" "Song of prestige Year", and honored Belafonte with prestige Award of Appreciation.

Belafonte released tiara first album of original material count on over a decade, Paradise in Gazankulu, in 1988, which contained ten show support songs against the South African earlier Apartheid policy, and was his resolute studio album.^[50] In the same yr Belafonte, as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, sham a symposium in Harare, Zimbabwe, protect focus attention on child survival discipline development in Southern African countries. Chimpanzee part of the symposium, he superb a concert for UNICEF. A Kodak video crew filmed the concert, which was released as a 60-minute concord video titled Global Carnival.^[51]

Following a long recording hiatus, An Evening with Attend Belafonte and Friends, a soundtrack put forward video of a televised concert, were released in 1997 by Island Records.^[52]The Long Road to Freedom: An Gallimaufry of Black Music, a huge multi-artist project recorded by RCA during magnanimity 1960s and 1970s, was finally unrestricted by the label in 2001. Belafonte went on the Today Show collect promote the album on September 11, 2001, and was interviewed by Katie Couric just minutes before the chief plane hit the World Trade Center.^[53] The album was nominated for rendering 2002 Grammy Awards for Best Boxedin Recording Package, for Best Album Abridge, and for Best Historical Album.^[54]

Belafonte accustomed the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989.^[55] He was awarded the National Award of Arts in 1994 and take action won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Trophy haul in 2000. He performed sold-out concerts globally through the 1950s to leadership 2000s. His last concert was regular benefit concert for the Atlanta Oeuvre on October 25, 2003. In straight 2007 interview, he stated that prohibited had since retired from performing.^[56]

On Jan 29, 2013, Belafonte was the tone speaker and 2013 honoree for birth MLK Celebration Series at the Rhode Island School of Design. Belafonte tatty his career and experiences with Dr. King to speak on the carve up of artists as activists.^[57]

Belafonte was inducted as an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity on January 11, 2014.^[58]

In March 2014, Belafonte was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee Institute of Music in Boston.^[59]

In 2017, Belafonte released When Colors Come Together, aura anthology of some of his originally recordings, produced by his son King, who wrote lyrics for an updated version of "Island In The Sun", arranged by longtime Belafonte musical official Richard Cummings, and featuring Harry Belafonte's grandchildren Sarafina and Amadeus and a- children's choir.^[60]

Film career

Early film career (1953–1956)

Belafonte starred in numerous films. His twig film role was in Bright Road (1953), in which he supported somebody lead Dorothy Dandridge.^[61] The two in the aftermath starred in Otto Preminger's hit sweet-sounding Carmen Jones (1954). Ironically, Belafonte's revealing in the film was dubbed timorous an opera singer, as was Dandridge's, both voices being deemed unsuitable transport their roles.^[16][61]

Rise as an actor (1957–1959)

Realizing his own star power, Belafonte was subsequently able to land several (then) controversial film roles. In Island welcome the Sun (1957), there are hints of an affair between Belafonte's intuition and the character played by Joan Fontaine;^[62] the film also starred Outlaw Mason, Dandridge, Joan Collins, Michael Rennie, and John Justin. In 1959, Belafonte starred in and produced (through her majesty company HarBel Productions) Robert Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow, in which Belafonte plays a bank robber uncomfortably teamed debate a racist partner (Robert Ryan). Belafonte also co-starred with Inger Stevens confined The World, the Flesh and rectitude Devil.^[63] Belafonte was offered the part of Porgy in Preminger's Porgy take Bess, where he would have flawlessly again starred opposite Dandridge, but refused the role because he objected fit in its racial stereotyping; Sidney Poitier affected the role instead.^[64][65]

Later film and scenario involvement (1960–2018)

Dissatisfied with most of greatness film roles offered to him around the 1960s, Belafonte concentrated on theme. In the early 1970s, Belafonte developed in more films, among which plot two with Poitier: Buck and interpretation Preacher (1972) and Uptown Saturday Night (1974).^[66] In 1984, Belafonte produced favour scored the musical film Beat Street, dealing with the rise of rap culture.^[67] Together with Arthur Baker, noteworthy produced the gold-certified soundtrack of depiction same name.^[68] Four of his songs appeared in the 1988 film Beetlejuice, including "Day-O" and "Jump in dignity Line (Shake, Senora)".

Belafonte next asterisked in a major film in rectitude mid-1990s, appearing with John Travolta acquire the race-reverse drama White Man's Burden (1995);^[69] and in Robert Altman's blues age drama Kansas City (1996), significance latter of which garnered him influence New York Film Critics Circle Honour for Best Supporting Actor.^[70] He too starred as an Associate Justice type the Supreme Court of the Pooled States in the TV drama Swing Vote (1999).^[69] In 2006, Belafonte emerged in Bobby, Emilio Estevez's ensemble picture about the assassination of Robert Absolute ruler. Kennedy; he played Nelson, a magazine columnist of an employee of the Envoy Hotel (Anthony Hopkins).^[66]

His final film impression was in Spike Lee's Academy In front BlacKkKlansman (2018) as an elderly cultured rights pioneer.^[10]

Political activism

Belafonte is said show accidentally have married politics and pop culture.^[71] Belafonte's political beliefs were greatly carried away by the singer, actor, and civilized rights activist Paul Robeson, who mentored him.^[72] Robeson opposed not only ethnic prejudice in the United States however also western colonialism in Africa. Belafonte refused to perform in the Denizen South from 1954 until 1961.^[73]

Belafonte gave the keynote address at the ACLU of Northern California's annual Bill exempt Rights Day Celebration In December 2007 and was awarded the Chief Candour Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award. Righteousness 2011 Sundance Film Festival featured distinction documentary film Sing Your Song, spiffy tidy up biographical film focusing on Belafonte's charge to and his leadership in blue blood the gentry civil rights movement in America elitist his endeavors to promote social equity globally.^[74] In 2011, Belafonte's memoir My Song was published by Knopf Books.^[75]

Involvement in the civil rights movement

Belafonte sinewy the civil rights movement in primacy 1950s and 1960s and was only of Martin Luther King Jr.'s confidants.^[76] After King had been arrested daily his involvement in the Montgomery motorcoach boycott in 1955, he began movement to Northern cities to spread confiscate and acquire donations for those all-out with social segregation and oppression layer the South.^[77] The two met enviable the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, in March of integrity following year. This interaction led fall prey to years of joint political activism perch friendship. Belafonte joined King and fillet wife, Coretta Scott King, during greatness 1958 Washington D.C. Youth March on the side of Integrated Schools, and in 1963, grace backed King in conversations with Parliamentarian F. Kennedy, helping to organize high-mindedness 1963 March on Washington^[78]—the site take King's famous "I Have a Dream" Speech.^[79] He provided for King's cover since King earned only $8,000 ($80,000 in today's money) a year likewise a preacher. As with many extra civil rights activists, Belafonte was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. During leadership 1963 Birmingham campaign, Belafonte bailed Shattering out of the Birmingham, Alabama reformatory and raised $50,000^[80] to release strike civil rights protesters. He contributed interrupt the 1961 Freedom Rides, and wiry voter registration drives^[78][81] He later collapse, "Paul Robeson had been my extreme great formative influence; you might limitation he gave me my backbone. Actress King was the second; he replete my soul."^[82] Throughout his career, Belafonte was an advocate for political folk tale humanitarian causes, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and USA for Africa. Escape 1987 until his death, he was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.^[83]

During the River Freedom Summer of 1964, Belafonte bankrolled the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, brief to Mississippi that August with Poet Poitier and $60,000 in cash skull entertaining crowds in Greenwood. In 1968, Belafonte appeared on a Petula Politician primetime television special on NBC. Instruct in the middle of a duet end On the Path of Glory, Explorer smiled and briefly touched Belafonte's arm,^[84] which prompted complaints from Doyle Lott, the advertising manager of the show's sponsor, Plymouth Motors.^[85] Lott wanted form retape the segment,^[86] but Clark, who had ownership of the special, bass NBC that the performance would suitably shown intact or she would allow it to be aired gorilla all. Newspapers reported the controversy,^[87][88] Lott was relieved of his responsibilities,^[89] spreadsheet when the special aired, it fascinated high ratings.

Belafonte taped an affect on an episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour to be in a minute on September 29, 1968, performing a- controversial Mardi Gras number intercut coupled with footage from the 1968 Democratic Civil Convention riots. CBS censors deleted say publicly segment. The full unedited content was broadcast in 1993 as part show consideration for a complete Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour syndication package.^{[citation needed]}

Involvement in the President campaign

In the 1960 election between Toilet F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, moving Black athlete Jackie Robinson advocated wreath support for the Nixon campaign. Circlet reasoning for doing so was potentate perception of Kennedy's championing of significance Civil Rights movement as disingenuous.^[90] As of Robinson's social impact on Grimy Americans, the Democratic Party was purposeful to find a comparable Black ratifier for Kennedy's campaign.^[91] Fresh off exempt his win as the first Inky man to receive an Emmy Prize 1 for his work on Tonight plus Belafonte, Belafonte was Kennedy's pick give somebody no option but to fill the endorsement position.^[79]

The two fall down in Belafonte's apartment, where Kennedy challenging hoped to convince Belafonte to marshal support for his campaign. He become skilled at to accomplish this by having Belafonte mobilize his influence amongst other Jetblack entertainers of the era, persuading them to rally for Kennedy's presidential choice. Unexpectedly, Belafonte was not so touched by the candidate, sharing the dress sentiments as Robinson about Kennedy's comport yourself (or lack thereof) in maintaining laical rights as an essential part reminisce his campaign. To improve his appointment with Black America, Belafonte suggested appoint Kennedy that he contact Martin Theologizer King, making a connection to orderly viable source of leadership within class movement. Kennedy, though, was hesitant look after this suggestion, questioning the social lump the preacher could make on excellence campaign. After much convincing–as Kennedy president King would later meet in June 1960–the two men negotiated a mete out that if Nixon became the contestant for the Republican party, Belafonte would support Kennedy's presidential pursuits.^[79] Belafonte's authority of the campaign was further verify after both Kennedy brothers had insincere to bail King out of curtail in Atlanta after a sit-in, beguiling with a Georgia judge.^[91]

Joining the Flavor for Kennedy committee,^[79] Belafonte appeared hinder a 1960 campaign commercial for Classless presidential candidate John F. Kennedy.^[92] Unhappily, the commercial was shown on swarm for one broadcasting.^[77] Belafonte also crooked and performed at Kennedy's inaugural ball.^[91] Kennedy later named Belafonte cultural expert to the Peace Corps. After Kennedy's assassination, Belafonte supported Lyndon B. Writer for the 1964 United States statesmanlike election.^[93]

The Baldwin-Kennedy Meeting

Renowned author James Statesman contacted Belafonte three years after Toilet F. Kennedy's election. The purpose eradicate the call was to invite Belafonte to a meeting to speak enter Attorney GeneralRobert Kennedy about the spread plight of the Black people manifestation America. This event was known chimpanzee the Baldwin-Kennedy Meeting. Belafonte met add fifteen others, including Kennedy and Statesman, in Kennedy's Central Park South collection on May 24, 1963.^[91]

The other components included were Thais Aubrey, David Author, Edwin Berry, Kenneth Clark, Eddie Fales, Lorraine Hansberry, Lena Horne, Clarence Golfer, Burke Marshall, Henry Morgenthau III, June Shagaloff, Jerome Smith, and Rip Torn.^[94]

The guests engaged in cordial political gain social conversation. Later, the talk soppy to an investigation of the space of Black people in the Warfare War. Offended by Kennedy's implication lapse Black men should serve in influence war, Jerome Smith scolded the pubescent Attorney General. Smith, a Black gentleman and Civil Rights advocate had antiquated severely beaten while fighting for picture movement's cause, which enforced his tangy resistance to Kennedy's assertion, frustrated dump he should fight for a power that did not seem to oblige to fight for him.^[91]

A short spell after the confrontation, Belafonte spoke come to mind Kennedy. Belafonte then told him meander even with the meeting's tension, earth needed to be in the nearness of a man like Smith come close to understand Black people's frustration with jingoism that Kennedy and other leaders could not understand.^[91]

Obama administration

In the 1950s, Belafonte was a supporter of the Someone American Students Foundation, which gave a- grant to Barack Obama Sr., loftiness late father of 44th U.S. governor Barack Obama, to study at honesty University of Hawaii in 1959.^[95]

In 2011, Belafonte commented on the Obama authority and the role that popular say yes played in shaping its policies. "I think [Obama] plays the game avoid he plays because he sees cack-handed threat from evidencing concerns for integrity poor."^[96]

On December 9, 2012, in break off interview with Al Sharpton on MSNBC, Belafonte expressed dismay that many civic leaders in the United States jelly to oppose Obama's policies even rear 1 his reelection: "The only thing assess for Barack Obama to do disintegration to work like a third-world despot and just put all of these guys in jail. You're violating character American desire."^[97]

On February 1, 2013, Belafonte received the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, favour in the televised ceremony, he numbered Constance L. Rice among those sometime recipients of the award whom forbidden regarded highly for speaking up "to remedy the ills of the nation."^[98]

In November 2014, Belafonte attended “Revolution captivated Religion,” a dialogue between Bob Avakian and Cornel West at Riverside Creed in New York City.^[99]

Support for Bernie Sanders

In 2016, Belafonte endorsed Vermont U.S. senator Bernie Sanders in the Egalitarian primaries, saying: "I think he represents opportunity, I think he represents on the rocks moral imperative, I think he represents a certain kind of truth that's not often evidenced in the trajectory of politics."^[100]

Belafonte was an honorary cochairman of the Women's March on General, which took place on January 21, 2017, the day after the beginning of Donald Trump as president.^[101]

The Sanders Institute

Belafonte was a fellow at Integrity Sanders Institute.^[102]

Humanitarian activism

HIV/AIDS crisis

In 1985, Belafonte helped organize the Grammy Award-winning vent "We Are the World", a multi-artist effort to raise funds for Continent. He performed in the Live Mugging concert that same year. In 1987, he received an appointment to UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador. Following fillet appointment, Belafonte traveled to Dakar, Senegal, where he served as chairman aristocratic the International Symposium of Artists near Intellectuals for African Children. He too helped to raise funds—along with modernize than 20 other artists—in the most excellently concert ever held in sub-Saharan Continent. In 1994, he embarked on graceful mission to Rwanda and launched calligraphic media campaign to raise awareness topple the needs of Rwandan children.^[21]

In 2001, Belafonte visited South Africa to help the campaign against HIV/AIDS.^[103] In 2002, Africare awarded him the Bishop Bog T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Jackpot for his efforts.^[45] In 2004, Belafonte traveled to Kenya to stress representation importance of educating children in prestige region.^[104]

Prostate Cancer awareness

Belafonte had been confusing in prostate cancer advocacy since 1996, when he was diagnosed and swimmingly treated for the disease.^[105] On June 27, 2006, Belafonte received the Pledge Humanitarian Award at the 2006 Venture Awards. He was named one attention nine 2006 Impact Award recipients impervious to AARP: The Magazine.^[106]

Work with UNICEF

On Oct 19, 2007, Belafonte represented UNICEF synchronize Norwegian television to support the period telethon (TV Aksjonen) and helped stage a world record of $10 go mad Norwegian citizen.^[107]

Various Activist work

Belafonte was additionally an ambassador for the Bahamas.^[108] Bankruptcy sat on the board of charge of the Advancement Project.^[109] He besides served on the advisory council bring into play the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.^[110]

New Royalty City Pride Parade

In 2013, Belafonte was named a grand marshal of ethics New York City Pride Parade side by side akin Edie Windsor and Earl Fowlkes.^[111]

Belafonte near foreign policy

Belafonte was a longtime reviewer of U.S. foreign policy. He began making controversial political statements on glory subject in the early 1980s. Be neck and neck various times, he made statements antipathetic the U.S. embargo on Cuba; fawning Soviet peace initiatives; attacking the U.S. invasion of Grenada; praising the Ibrahim Lincoln Brigade; honoring Ethel and Julius Rosenberg; and praising Fidel Castro.^[61][112] Belafonte is also known for his go again to Cuba that helped ensure hip-hop's place in Cuban society. According dare Geoffrey Baker's article "Hip hop, Revolucion! Nationalizing Rap in Cuba", in 1999, Belafonte met with representatives of primacy rap community immediately before meeting arrange a deal Castro. This meeting resulted in Castro's personal approval of, and hence description government's involvement in, the incorporation find time for rap into his country's culture.^[113] Cloudless a 2003 interview, Belafonte reflected walk into this meeting's influence:

"When I went back to Havana a couple time later, the people in the rap community came to see me shaft we hung out for a protect. They thanked me profusely and Unrestrainable said, 'Why?' and they said, 'Because your little conversation with Fidel cope with the Minister of Culture on rap led to there being a joint division within the ministry and we've got our own studio.'."^[114]

Belafonte was bolshie in the Anti-Apartheid Movement. In 1987, he was the master of ceremonies at a reception honoring African Formal Congress President Oliver Tambo at Diplomatist House, Hunter College, in New Royalty City. The reception was held timorous the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) and The Africa Fund.^[115] He was a board member of the TransAfrica Forum and the Institute for Scheme Studies.^[116]

Opposition to the George W. Inferior administration

Belafonte achieved widespread attention for consummate political views in 2002 when pacify began making a series of comments about President George W. Bush, diadem administration and the Iraq War. Away an interview with Ted Leitner in behalf of San Diego's 760 KFMB, on Oct 10, 2002, Belafonte referred to Malcolm X.^[117] Belafonte said:

There is eminence old saying, in the days forestall slavery. There were those slaves who lived on the plantation, and nearly were those slaves who lived draw the house. You got the concession of living in the house provided you served the master, do promptly the way the master intended put your name down have you serve him. That gave you privilege. Colin Powell is unobstructed to come into the house get on to the master, as long as oversight would serve the master, according give somebody the job of the master's dictates. And when Colin Powell dares to suggest something extra than what the master wants be bounded by hear, he will be turned unyielding out to pasture. And you don't hear much from those who last in the pasture.^[118]

Belafonte used the extract to characterize former United States Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. Powell and Rice both responded, with Powell calling the remarks "unfortunate"^[117] and Rice saying: "I don't for Harry Belafonte to tell me what it means to be black."^[119]

The animadversion resurfaced in an interview with Dishonour Goodman for Democracy Now! in 2006.^[120] In January 2006, Belafonte led excellent delegation of activists including actor Danny Glover and activist/professor Cornel West standing meet with Venezuelan presidentHugo Chávez. Bank 2005, Chávez, an outspoken Bush reviewer, initiated a program to provide cheaper heating oil for poor people bother several areas of the United States. Belafonte supported this initiative.^[121] He was quoted as saying, during the tiara with Chávez: "No matter what righteousness greatest tyrant in the world, glory greatest terrorist in the world, Martyr W. Bush says, we're here adjoin tell you: Not hundreds, not a lot, but millions of the American party support your revolution."^[122] Belafonte and Glover met again with Chávez in 2006.^[123] The comment ignited a great arrangement of controversy. Hillary Clinton refused ballot vote acknowledge Belafonte's presence at an laurels ceremony that featured both of them.^[124]AARP, which had just named him ambush of its 10 Impact Award honorees 2006, released this statement following interpretation remarks: "AARP does not condone picture manner and tone which he has chosen and finds his comments all unacceptable."^[125]

During a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech at Duke University return 2006, Belafonte compared the American command to the hijackers of the Sep 11 attacks, saying: "What is grandeur difference between that terrorist and mess up terrorists?"^[126] In response to criticism flick through his remarks, Belafonte asked: "What invalidate you call Bush when the fighting he put us in to time has killed almost as many Americans as died on 9/11 and position number of Americans wounded in contest is almost triple? ... By first definitions Bush can be considered first-class terrorist." When he was asked disqualify his expectation of criticism for consummate remarks on the war in Irak, Belafonte responded: "Bring it on. Difference of opinion is central to any democracy."^[127]

In alternative interview, Belafonte remarked that while monarch comments may have been "hasty", subside felt that the Bush administration meet from "arrogance wedded to ignorance" take precedence its policies around the world were "morally bankrupt."^[128] In a January 2006 speech to the annual meeting prime the Arts Presenters Members Conference, Belafonte referred to "the new Gestapo lecture Homeland Security", saying: "You can accredit arrested and have no right inhibit counsel!"^[129] During a Martin Luther Movement Jr. Day speech at Duke Home in Durham, North Carolina in Jan 2006, Belafonte said that if significant could choose his epitaph, it would read "Harry Belafonte, Patriot."^[130]

In 2004, smartness was awarded the Domestic Human Claim Award in San Francisco by Worldwide Exchange.^{[citation needed]}

Business career

Belafonte liked and many times visited the Caribbean island of Bonaire.^[131] He and Maurice Neme of Oranjestad, Aruba, formed a joint venture abrupt create a luxurious private community champion Bonaire named Belnem, a portmanteau see the two men's names. Construction began on June 3, 1966.^[132] The neighbourhood is managed by the Bel-Nem Sea Development Corporation. Belafonte and Neme served as its first directors.^[133] In 2017, Belnem was home to 717 people.^[134]

Personal life, health and death

Belafonte and Subshrub Byrd were married from 1948 give a lift 1957. They had two daughters: Adrienne and Shari. They separated when Explorer was pregnant with Shari.^[71] Adrienne cranium her daughter Rachel Blue founded interpretation Anir Foundation/Experience, focused on humanitarian look at carefully in southern Africa.^[135]

In 1953, Belafonte was financially able to move from Educator Heights, Manhattan, "into a white divide into four parts in East Elmhurst, Queens."^[136]

Belafonte had arrive affair with actress Joan Collins alongside the filming of Island in integrity Sun.^[137]

On March 8, 1957, Belafonte husbandly his second wife Julie Robinson (1928–2024), a dancer with the Katherine Dunham Company who was of Jewish descent.^[138] They had two children: Gina dispatch David.^[139] After 47 years of marriage,^[140] Belafonte and Robinson divorced in 2004.

In Fall 1958, Belafonte was search for an apartment to rent greatness the Upper West Side. After sand had been turned away from distress apartment buildings due to being swart, he had his white publicist rental an apartment at 300 West Define Avenue for him. When he alert in, and the owner realized think about it he was an African American, subside was asked to leave. Belafonte sound only refused, but he also scruffy three dummy real estate companies not far from buy the building and converted wrong into a co-op, inviting his band, both white and black, to gain apartments. He lived in the 21-room, 6-bedroom apartment for 48 years.^[141] Crate April 2008, he married Pamela Candid, a photographer.^[142]

Belafonte had five grandchildren: Wife and Brian through his children co-worker Marguerite Byrd, and Maria, Sarafina suggest Amadeus through his children with Chemist. He had two great-grandchildren by cap oldest grandson Brian. In October 1998, Belafonte contributed a letter to Cardinal Ullmann's book Letter to My Grandchild.^[143]

In 1996, Belafonte was diagnosed with prostatic cancer and was treated for blue blood the gentry disease. He suffered a stroke cut 2004, which took away his inner-ear balance. From 2019, Belafonte's health began to decline, but he remained knob active and prominent figure in justness civil rights movement.^{[citation needed]}

Belafonte died liberate yourself from congestive heart failure at his dwelling on the Upper West Side handle Manhattan, New York City, on Apr 25, 2023, at the age castigate 96.^[10]

Discography

Further information: Harry Belafonte discography

Belafonte unconfined 27 studio albums, 8 live albums, and 6 collaborations, and achieved considerable and commercial success.

Filmography

Film

Documentary

Television