Actors - Harry Belafonte

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	Actors - Harry Belafonte

Harold George Belafonte, Jr. (born March 1, 1927 in Harlem, New York, United States) is a Jamaican-American musician, actor, social activist. One of the most successful African-American musicians in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style. Throughout his career he has been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes. In recent years he has been a vocal critic of the policies of the Bush administration.

Youth and early career

From 1935 to 1939 he lived with his mother in the village of Aboukir in her native country of Jamaica. When he returned to New York he attended George Washington High School after which he joined the Navy and served during World War II. At the end of the 1940s he took classes in acting and subsequently received a Tony Award for his participation in John Murray Anderson's Almanac. He starred in several films during the 1950s. These include the all black cast Carmen Jones and the then controversial Island in the Sun, for which he wrote and sang the title song.

Music

Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song," with its signature lyric "Day-O". His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first full-length album to sell over 1 million copies (Bing Crosby's White Christmas
and Tennessee Ernie Ford's Sixteen Tons, both vinyl singles, had previously surpassed the 1 million mark). The album is number four on Billboard's "Top 100 Album" list for having spent 31 weeks at number 1, 58 weeks in the top ten, and 99 weeks on the US charts. While primarily known for his Calypso songs, Belafonte has recorded in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards.

Belafonte continued to release albums through the 1950s and 1960s. Two live albums, both recorded at Carnegie Hall, enjoyed critical and commercial success. His output in the 1970s slowed, and he released only one studio album in the 1980s, coinciding with a stronger focus on politics and activism. In the late 1990s a live album and dvd were released. The Long Road to Freedom, An Anthology of Black Music, a huge multi-artist project recorded during the 1960s and 1970s, was finally released in 2001.

Belafonte was the first African-American to win an Emmy, with his first solo TV special Tonight with Belafonte (1959). He was also a guest star and sung on an episode of The Muppet Show (aired 1979).

He won a Grammy Award in 2000 for lifetime achievement, and was named one of nine 2006 Impact Award recipients by .

Political and humanitarian activism

Belafonte was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and one of Martin Luther King's confidants. In 1968, Belafonte appeared on a Petula Clark primetime television special on NBC. In the middle of a song, Clark smiled and briefly touched Belafonte's arm, which made the show's sponsor, Plymouth Motors, nervous. Plymouth wanted to cut out the segment but Clark, who had ownership of the special, told NBC that the performance would be shown intact or she would not allow the special to be aired. American newspapers published articles reporting the controversy and when the special aired it grabbed high viewing figures. Clark's gesture marked the first time in which two people of different races made friendly bodily contact on US television.

Belafonte appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and performed a controversial "Mardi Gras" number with footage intercut from the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots.

In 1985, he was one of the organizers behind the Grammy Award winning song "We Are The World," a multi-artist effort to raise funds for Africa, and performed in the Live Aid concert that same year.

In 1987, he received an appointment to UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador. In 2002 Africare awarded him the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award for his efforts to assist Africa.

Belafonte has been involved in prostate cancer advocacy since 1996, when he was diagnosed and successfully treated for the disease.

Controversial political statements

Belafonte began making controversial political statements in the early 1980s. He has, at various times, made statements praising Soviet peace initiatives, attacking the U.S. invasion of Grenada, praising the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (a Communist-affiliated group in the Spanish Civil War), honoring Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and praising Fidel Castro.

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