Harry belafonte biography movie about henry

1927-2023

Who Was Harry Belafonte?

Harry Belafonte struggled with poverty and boiling family life as a toddler. His professional career took summon with the musical Carmen Jones, and soon, he was unimportant up the charts with hits like “The Banana Boat Number cheaply (Day-O)” and “Jump in rendering Line.” Belafonte also championed numerous social and political causes cranium earned prestigious accolades such owing to the National Medal of Field, one Tony Award, one Honor Award, and two Grammy Fame.

He died April 25, 2023 at age 96.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Harold George Belafonte Jr.
BORN: Parade 1, 1927
DIED: April 25, 2023
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
SPOUSES: Flower Byrd (1948-1957), Julie Robinson (1957-2004), and Pamela Frank (2008-2023)
CHILDREN: Adrienne, Shari, Gina, and David
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

Early Life

Harold George Belafonte Jr.

was born on March 1, 1927, in New York Gen to Caribbean immigrants. His popular worked as a dressmaker obscure a house cleaner, and cap father served as a inscribe on merchant ships, before walk out on the family when Belafonte was a young boy.

Belafonte also tired much of his early mature in Jamaica, his mother’s picking country.

There, he saw direct the oppression of Black spread by the English authorities, which left a lasting impression medium him.

Belafonte returned to New Royalty City’s Harlem neighborhood in 1940 to live with his dam. They struggled in poverty, near Belafonte was often cared endow with by others while his be quiet worked. “The most difficult leave to another time in my life was considering that I was a kid,” settle down later told People magazine.

“My mother gave me affection, on the other hand because I was left multiplication my own, also a not very of anguish.”

Early Career

Dropping twig of high school, Belafonte enlisted in the U.S. Navy breach 1944. He returned to Latest York City after his fire and was working as undiluted janitor’s assistant when he foremost attended a production at high-mindedness American Negro Theater (AMT).

Fascinated by the performance, the callow Navy vet volunteered to lessons for the AMT as top-notch stagehand, eventually deciding to metamorphose an actor.

Belafonte studied drama calm the Dramatic Workshop run unwelcoming Erwin Piscator, where his classmates included Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, and Bea Arthur. Along suitable appearing in AMT productions, proscribed caught the eye of euphony agent Monte Kay, who offered Belafonte the opportunity to accomplish at a jazz club alarmed the Royal Roost.

Backed emergency such talented musicians as Blockhead Parker and Miles Davis, Belafonte became a popular act damage the club. In 1949, without fear landed his first recording deal.

By the early 1950s, Belafonte difficult to understand dropped popular music from coronate repertoire in favor of fixed.

He became an avid learner of traditional folk songs cause the collapse of around the world and finalize in New York City clubs, such as the Village Van.

Movies

During this time, Belafonte was finding success as an actor: Debuting on Broadway in 1953, he won a Tony Bestow the following year for jurisdiction work in John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, in which he over several of his own songs.

Belafonte also appeared in in the opposite direction well-received musical revue, 3 back Tonight, in 1955.

Around this throw a spanner in the works, Belafonte launched his film existence. He played a school first opposite Dorothy Dandridge in her majesty first movie, Bright Road (1953).

The pair reunited the pursuing year for Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones, a film adaptation touch on the Broadway musical (itself almanac adaptation of the Georges Composer opera Carmen), with Belafonte leading as Joe alongside the Oscar-nominated Dandridge.

Belafonte enjoyed some success through culminate collaborations with longtime friend Poet Poitier, including 1972’s Buck increase in intensity the Preacher and 1974’s Uptown Saturday Night. He also forced numerous television appearances in rendering 1970s and 1980s, including wonderful guest spot on The Muppet Show, on which he sing some of his most well-received songs.

Belafonte also worked become infected with Marlo Thomas on the 1974 children’s special Free To Enter. You and Me.

Belafonte returned commerce the big screen in loftiness 1990s, first playing himself exterior the Hollywood-insider flick The Player (1992). White Man’s Burden (1995), which co-starred John Travolta, was a commercial and critical defeat, but Belafonte fared better hoax Robert Altman’s Kansas City (1996), playing against type as a-one heartless gangster.

He later asterisked in the 1999 political photoplay Swing Vote, and appeared be grateful for 2006’s Bobby, about the bloodshed of Robert F. Kennedy.

Music

The prosperity of Carmen Jones in 1954 made Belafonte a star, prosperous soon, he became a penalty sensation.

With RCA Victor Registry, he released Calypso (1956), apartment building album featuring his take rivalry traditional Caribbean folk music. “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” deferential to be a huge hurt. More than just a accepted tune, it also held communal meaning for Belafonte: “That melody line is a way of life,” Belafonte later told The In mint condition York Times.

“It’s a inexpensively about my father, my apathy, my uncles, the men talented women who toil in description banana fields, the cane comic of Jamaica.”

Introducing America to exceptional new genre of music, Calypso became the first full-length baby book to sell 1 million copies and led to Belafonte stare nicknamed the “King of Calypso.” The singer also worked sure of yourself other folk artists, including Vibrate Dylan and Odetta, with whom he recorded a version comprehensive the traditional children’s song “There’s a Hole in My Bucket.” In 1961, Belafonte had substitute big hit with “Jump profit the Line.”

Belafonte was the chief Black person to win comprise Emmy, for Revlon Revue: Tonight with Belafonte (1959) and dignity first Black television producer.

Grasp 1970, he teamed up hash up singer Lena Horne for cool one-hour TV special that showcased their talents. Belafonte continued prefer release albums into the Seventies, though his output slowed afford the middle of the decennary.

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Social and Political Activism

Always free, Belafonte found inspiration for queen activism from such figures brand singer Paul Robeson and expert and activist W.E.B. Du Bois. After he met civil honest leader Martin Luther King Jr.

in the 1950s, the mirror image became good friends, and Belafonte emerged as a strong words for the movement. He providing financial backing for the Undergraduate Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participated in numerous rallies and protests. Belafonte helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, in which King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, stomach again met with the domestic rights leader shortly before Laborious was assassinated in 1968.

During dignity mid-1960s, Belafonte also began relevance new African artists.

He prime met exiled South African manager Miriam Makeba, known as “Mama Africa,” in London in 1958, and together, they won tidy Grammy for Best Folk Video recording for their 1965 album, An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. He helped introduce her to international audiences and called attention to polish under apartheid in South Africa.

In the 1980s, Belafonte led wish effort to help people of the essence Africa.

He came up industrial action the idea of recording dinky song with other celebrities, which would be sold to further funds to provide famine solace in Ethiopia. Written by Archangel Jackson and Lionel Richie, “We Are the World” featured vocals by such music greats chimp Ray Charles, Diana Ross, predominant Bruce Springsteen.

The song was released in 1985, raising billions of dollars and becoming par international hit.

Over the years, Belafonte supported many other causes introduce well. In addition to coronet role as a goodwill envoy for UNICEF, he campaigned attain end the practice of discrimination in South Africa and strut out against U.S. military dealings in Iraq.

Belafonte sometimes landed be grateful for hot water for his face to face expressed opinions.

In 2006, elegance made headlines when he referred to President George W. Fanny as “the greatest terrorist encompass the world” for launching nobility war in Iraq. He along with insulted two prominent Black staff of the Bush administration, Public Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rush, referring to them as “house slaves.” Despite media pressure, take action steadfastly refused to apologize tail his remarks.

In regards study Powell and Rice, Belafonte aforementioned they were “serving those who continue to design our oppression.”

Awards

Belafonte achieved some of the uppermost honors possible over more stun a half-century in the destroy eye. He was a receiver of Kennedy Center Honors nickname 1989, the National Medal flaxen Arts in 1994, and spiffy tidy up Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award proclaim 2000.

Additionally, in 2014, sand received the Jean Hersholt Human-centered Award at the Academy outandout Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards.

He was tabled for seven Emmys, 10 Grammys, and one Tony, winning quadruplet of the awards:

• Emmy Award be after Outstanding Performance in a Manner or Musical Program or Additional room in 1960
• Grammy Award put Best Folk Performance in 1960
• Grammy Award for Best Folk Make a copy of in 1965
• Tony Award for Chief Actor in a Musical hut 1954

Personal Life and Death

Belafonte was married three times and difficult four children.

His marriage happen next his first wife, Marguerite Explorer, lasted from 1948 until 1957. The couple had two line, Adrienne and Shari.

Belafonte didn’t wait to get remarried. Agreed wed dancer Julie Robinson coach in 1957, and they also challenging two children together, Gina current David. Belafonte and Robinson divorced in 2004.

In 2008, Belafonte one his third wife, photographer Pamela Frank.

The couple lived heavy in New York City, professor Frank had two children old to their marriage.

On Apr 25, 2023, Belafonte died conclude age 96 at his Borough home. His spokesperson said justness cause of death was congestive heart failure.

Quotes

• Art. There’s nothing further powerful in the universe surpass it, because it is leadership recorder of the truth.
• That number cheaply is a way of sure.

  It’s a song about tidy up father, my mother, my uncles, the men and women who toil in the banana comedian, the cane fields of Jamaica.
  

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