Harry belafonte biography african-american
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As a social activist, he was a great vocal critic of the former president of America, President George W. Bush. Following her star turn in the 1954 musical Carmen Jones, she became the first African American to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. His groundbreaking album entitled ”Calypso” was released in 1956 and it was the first LP in the United States to sell over one million copies within one year and the first million-selling LP ever in the UK.
The majority of the compositions on this album, such as ”Jamaica Farewell” and ”The Banana Boat Song,” which was based on Jamaican folk singer Louis Bennett’s version from 1954. His debut act on the Broadway was in 1953. He later took part in John Murray Anderson's Almanac earned himself a Tony Award. Washington, like Belafonte, avoids caricature and embraces complexity — insisting that Black stories be told with depth and dignity.
Just as Belafonte used his influence to support Martin Luther King Jr.
and the Civil Rights Movement, Washington has supported educational initiatives, scholarships, and mentorship programs for young Black artists. In the 1980s, the great philanthropist was the leader of a project to help African people. This all-Black cast film proved that Black performers could carry a major Hollywood production.
1957 – Island in the Sun: Set in the Caribbean, this film tackled interracial romance and racial tension, with Belafonte playing a political activist.
He also advocated greatly against the actions of the US military actions that took place in Iraq. His 1956 album Calypso, led by the iconic “Day-O (Banana Boat Song),” became the first LP to sell more than one million copies in the United States. He participated in the campaign against HIV/AIDS in 2001 which took place in 2001 among other philanthropic events.
Early Life
Harry Belafonte was born on March 1st, 1927.
Belafonte played against type as a rough-edged trickster, breaking his earlier suave image.
1974 – Uptown Saturday Night: In this comedy directed by Sidney Poitier, Belafonte appeared in a satirical role parodying gangster archetypes, showing his comedic flair.
1995 – White Man’s Burden: A provocative alternate-history film that flipped racial hierarchies, with Belafonte playing a wealthy industrialist in a society where whites were the oppressed minority.
1996 – Kansas City: Directed by Robert Altman, Belafonte portrayed a ruthless gangster named Seldom Seen, delivering one of his most acclaimed late-career performances.
2006 – Bobby: Emilio Estevez’s ensemble drama about the assassination of Robert F.
Kennedy included Belafonte as Nelson, a retired doorman whose personal memories added emotional depth.
2018 – BlacKkKlansman: In Spike Lee’s film, Belafonte played an elder activist recounting a lynching to a new generation of Black activists. For him, the role of the artist was inseparable from that of the activist.
Legacy and Awards
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards, an Emmy, and a Tony Award, and received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He played a bank robber forced to confront racial prejudice. Harry Belafonte debuted as a folk singer at the iconic jazz club ”The Village Vanguard” and in 1952 he signed with RCA Victor, for which he continued to record until the 1970’s. The group landed gigs at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem and performed with top acts such as the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra and Cab Calloway.
Belafonte became the “King of Calypso,” but he always saw himself as more than a hitmaker: he was a cultural ambassador bringing the rhythms, politics, and soul of Jamaica and the Caribbean into the global imagination. She won her first starring film role in 1953’s Bright Road, playing an earnest and dedicated young schoolteacher opposite Harry Belafonte.
Her next role, as the eponymous lead in Carmen Jones (1954), a film adaptation of Bizet's opera Carmen that also co-starred Belafonte, catapulted her to the heights of stardom.
Both men combined extraordinary artistic ability with a deep sense of responsibility toward community and representation.
Belafonte showed that a Black actor could be both a matinee idol and a political force. Dandridge soon suffered a nervous breakdown.
Death and Legacy
On September 8, 1965, Dandridge was found dead in her Hollywood home at age 42.
Also, Harry is a humanitarian activist exhibited by his support for humanitarian activities. She wanted strong leading roles but found her opportunities limited because of her race.