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Harold George 'Harry' Belafonte - African American singer, actor, producer, and activist, who has used his position as an entertainer to promote civil rights and human rights worldwide.
Belafonte's parents were emigrants from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Jamaica, and he lived with his mother during her 1935-40 return to Jamaica. He left high school to serve in the U.S. Navy in the mid-1940s; after returning to New York City he studied drama at Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop, where a singing role led to night-club engagements and a recording contract as a pop singer. In 1950 he became a folksinger. He sang West Indian folk songs as well, in nightclubs and theatres; his handsome appearance added to his appeal as a frequent performer on television variety programs. With hit recordings such as "Day-O (Banana Boat Song)" and "Jamaica Farewell," he initiated a fad for calypso music; in the mid-1950s his Harry Belafonte and Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites were the first of his series of hit folk-song albums.
Belafonte was the male lead (but did not sing) in the film musical Carmen Jones (1954), a success that led to a starring role in the film Island in the Sun (1957). He also produced the film Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), in which he acted, and in the 1960s became the first African-American television producer. He helped introduce South African singer Miriam Makeba and Greek singer Nana Mouskouri to American audiences. A civil-rights activist, he was also active in charitable work.
He became best known for his interpretations of West Indian calypso music. He also popularized Asian and African songs, and American ballads, blues, and spirituals.
He won Grammy awards in 1960, 1961, and 1965.
Belafonte was born in New York City but lived in Kingston, Jamaica, from the ages of 8 to 13. He returned to New York City in 1940 and studied acting there. He tried to pursue a career in the theater but found work difficult to obtain. In 1949, he began a career as a jazz singer, with some success. It was through pursuing an interest in folk music, however, that he achieved his greatest fame. He searched out material through the Archive of Folk Song at the Library of Congress. He signed a recording contract in 1952 and reached the peak of his success from 1956 to 1962. Belafonte also appeared in several motion pictures, including Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Kansas City (1996).
Singer Harry Belafonte kisses civil rights activist Rosa Parks
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