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Harry Belafonte RIP
Harry Belafonte was one of the show biz industry's most enduring stars. Born in 1927, he achieved lasting fame as the man who popularized the folk music scene of the 1950s, and especially the musical style known as calypso. The singer later ventured into cinema, starring in films such as 'Carmen Jones' (1954) and 'Island in the Sun' (1957). But the American entertainer was equally celebrated for his political activism.
An ardent supporter of the civil rights movement throughout the 1960s, Belafonte was recognized globally for his humanitarian work, and was long ago appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for his efforts in promoting a fairer and more just world for youngsters. The celebrated American singer and actor died on April 25 2023 of congestive heart failure. He was 96 years old.
Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. was born on March 1, 1927 in Harlem, New York City. The son of Jamaican-born parents, Belafonte served in the Navy during the Second World War.
Back in New York in the late 1940s, the 20-something Belafonte took in a play at the American Negro Theater, and fell in love with acting. He also bumped into fellow wannabee actor Sidney Poitier, and the two became lifelong buddies.
Belafonte took classes in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York. His voice and stagecraft was such that in 1954 he appeared in the Broadway revue 'John Murray Anderson's Almanac' (pictured), for which he received a Tony Award.
To help pay for acting lessons, Belafonte had started singing in various New York clubs such as the Royal Roost, where he was backed by such talented musicians as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. In 1950, he made his debut at the legendary Village Vanguard jazz club. The burgeoning entertainer, however, soon developed an interest in folk music. In 1953, he signed a contract with RCA Victor. The Village Vanguard, incidentally, is the oldest operating jazz club in the Big Apple.
It's around this time that the singer launched his cinema career. His film debut was in 'Bright Road' alongside Dorothy Dandridge. Both Belafonte and Dandridge were known to audiences for their singing talents, and the movie showcased each of their musical abilities.
The following year Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte appeared in the musical 'Carmen Jones,' directed by Otto Preminger. Despite his lead role, Belafonte didn't sing in the film. Nonetheless, it was a huge hit, with Dandridge nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the first African American to be honored in the category. She lost to Grace Kelly. Pictured are Belafonte and Dandridge with Joe Adams in a publicity still from the film.
Belafonte's third studio album 'Calypso,' from 1956, introduced American audiences to calypso music, which had originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 20th century. One of the tracks included on the album is the traditional 'Day-O,' also known as 'The Banana Boat Song.' It became Belafonte's signature song.
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By the mid-1950s, Belafonte was appearing at some of the most prestigious clubs in Las Vegas, venues such as the Sands Hotel and Casino, Dunes Hotel, and (pictured) the Riviera Hotel. His contemporaries at the time included Liberace, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra.
Hollywood beckoned again in late 1956 with Belafonte heading for location work in Barbados and Grenada for 'Island in the Sun.' Released in 1957, the movie was controversial for the time for its portrayal of interracial romance—the love scenes between Belafonte and co-star Joan Fontaine generated boycotts and violence in the South, with the South Carolina legislature threatening to fine any theater US$5,000 that dared to show the picture.
In 1948, Harry Belafonte married Marguerite Byrd, a union that lasted until 1957, during which they had two children together, Adrienne and Shari. His second marriage was to Julie Robinson. The couple also had two children, David, and Gina. They were married from 1957 to 2004.
Unperturbed by the storm kicked up by 'Island in the Sun,' Belafonte promptly appeared in 'Odds Against Tomorrow,' in which he plays a bank robber uncomfortably teamed with a racist partner (Robert Ryan). Directed by Robert Wise, the film was a critical and commercial success.
Arguably the most unusual movie Belafonte has appeared in is 'The World, the Flesh, and the Devil.' This science fiction doomsday film sees him playing a miner who after escaping a cave-in, resurfaces to discover humanity has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust. He sets out to find survivors.
The singer closed the 1950s with a TV special, 'Tonight with Belafonte,' a revue of African music.
The singer won an Emmy Award for his work on 'Tonight with Belafonte,' and as the 1960s dawned he stepped back from cinema to fully concentrate on music and other interests.
Harry Belafonte involved himself in television production (he was the first African-American television producer in the United States). He's pictured with Nat King Cole after both signed formal contracts creating Cole-Belafonte Enterprises to produce properties for the stage, television, and motion pictures utilizing the talents of both, individually or together. The organization also aimed to afford greater opportunities for black artists in the entertainment business.
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Re: Harry Belafonte RIP
Increasingly, however, Belafonte was lending his time to promoting the causes of the civil rights movement. The entertainer had supported the political movement and campaign since the 1950s, and was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. Belafonte is pictured in 1960 addressing a crowd of over 10,000 civil rights marchers gathered in Manhattan, during which he also sang.
Dividing his time between attending protest rallies and recording, Belafonte introduced several overseas artists to US audiences, notably South African singer Miriam Makeba and Greek singer Nana Mouskouri. He continued also to promote homegrown talent. Playing harmonica on the opening track of his 1962 album, 'The Midnight Special,' is a young man called Bob Dylan.
Belafonte and South African singer Miriam Makeba won a Grammy awards for Best Folk Album recognizing 'An Evening With Belafonte and Makeba.' The album dealt with the political plight of black South Africans under apartheid.
On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 demonstrators took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in the nation's capital. Among them was Harry Belafonte, seen here with fellow celebrities Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, and Sidney Poitier. During this event, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The gathering was successful in pressuring the administration of John F. Kennedy to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress.
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Harry Belafonte and Sammy Davis Jr. joined Martin Luther King Jr. at a benefit concert called "Broadway Answers Selma," held on April 4, 1965 in the aftermath of the Selma to Montgomery Marches. The event drew a capacity audience of civil rights advocates and helped raise funds for the civil rights movement. Among those billed to perform that night were Martin Sheen, Barbra Streisand, Ossie Davis, and Walter Matthau.
Kirk Douglas and Harry Belafonte attend the 21st Annual Tony Awards party on March 26, 1967 at Sardi's Restaurant in New York City. That year saw Belafonte enjoy contemporary music chart success with 'A Strange Song,' his last big hit single. Meanwhile, he continued using his celebrity to further promote civil rights activism.
In 1968, Belafonte appeared with British singer Petula Clark on her NBC-TV special. While duetting 'On the Path of Glory,' an antiwar song that she had composed, Clark took hold of his arm. The gesture prompted a complaint from an advertising representative, who insisted the segment be retaped. Clark, who had ownership of the show, argued that the performance would be broadcast intact or she would not allow the show to be aired at all. The executive was later fired, and when it aired the special attracted high ratings. The singers are pictured rehearsing in the studio.
The Petula special was aired on April 2, 1968. Within 48 hours of its broadcast, Martin Luther King Jr. was dead. On April 8, 1968, a heartbroken Harry Belafonte joined huge crowds in Memphis, Tennessee, following King's assassination in the city. He's pictured left of center with King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and Jesse Jackson, among the many thousands of mourners paying their respects to the slain civil rights leader.
In 1970, Harry Belafonte returned to the big screen in the poorly-received 'The Angel Levine' which he produced, and which costarred Zero Mostel. Belafonte's next film, however, fared better. 'Buck and the Preacher' paired him with old buddy Sidney Poitier. While the film was not an immediate success financially, the on-screen chemistry between the two stars was noted by several critics.
Belafonte and Poitier would make another movie together, 'Uptown Saturday Night,' an action crime comedy that opened to positive reviews.
The next 10 years saw Belafonte involved mostly in documentary production projects and business ventures. In 1985, he was one of the performers invited to appear at the Live Aid benefit concert at Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
By now enjoying a reputation as one of the entertainment industry's elder statesmen, the veteran performer was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987. The singer embraced his new responsibilities with enthusiasm, his first task being a trip to Dakar in Senegal, where he served as chairman of the International Symposium of Artists and Intellectuals for African Children. His humanitarian efforts have helped raise the profile of those around the world suffering from disease, poverty, and discrimination.
In 1989, Harry Belafonte was one of those who received a Kennedy Center Honor, an annual award given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
Five years later in 1994, he was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts Award, which is bestowed by the White House for outstanding contributions to cultural life.
Throughout the 1990s, Belafonte enjoyed cameos in a number of movies, but was offered a more substantial role in Robert Altman's crime drama 'Kansas City.' The movie was well received and garnered Belafonte the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.
After 47 years of marriage, Belafonte and Julie Robinson divorced. He tied the knot for the third time with Pamela Frank, in 2008.
In his mid-eighties and still in remarkably good health, Belafonte remained active in movie and television production, and was still making personal appearances such as that alongside Spike Lee at the 28th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in April 2013 (Lee would later offer Belafonte a small role in his 2018 movie 'BlacKkKlansman'). Less than 10 years after this image was taken, in 2022, Belafonte was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category.
In June of 2013, the actor, singer, and activist was named a Grand Marshal of the New York City Pride Parade.
A career highpoint arrived in 2014 when Harry Belafonte was awarded the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 2014 Governors Awards in Hollywood. The accolade acknowledges an individual's "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes."
Belafonte's 93rd birthday bash at Harlem's Apollo Theater was one of the hottest tickets in town. Soon afterwards his vast personal archive was acquired by the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
In his nineties, Harry Belafonte refused to stand still, and remained a robust voice in politics and entertainment.
Here, the singer is pictured in December 2021 with Baptist minister and fellow civil rights activist Al Sharpton after Belafonte received the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest award bestowed by the French government for individual merit.
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Re: Harry Belafonte RIP
Great voice and entertainer, he recovered so well from losing his money half way through his career when his then girlfriend robbed him.
I remember him saying -
" Oh Matilda, Oh Matilda, Oh Matilda she take me money and run Venezuela ! "
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Re: Harry Belafonte RIP
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Re: Harry Belafonte RIP
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kirkland Laing
Amazing.
