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Date of Birth
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01-March-1927
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Place of Birth
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Harlem
(New York City, Manhattan, United States of America, New York, New York metropolitan area)
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Nationality
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United States of America
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Also know as
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Henry Belafonte, Harold George Belafonte, Jr., Belafonte Harry, Harry Belefonte, Harold George Belafonte Jr., Harold George Belafonte, Harold George Bellanfanti, Jr., King of Calypso, Harry Bellafonte, Harry Belafonté, Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr., Harry Belfonte
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Profession
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Singer, Actor, Songwriter, Film Producer, Television producer, Social activist, Author
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Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor, social activist, and Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Governors Awards honoree. One of the most successful Caribbean American pop stars in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso is the first million selling album by a single artist. Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". He has recorded in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He has also starred in several films, most notably in Otto Preminger's hit musical Carmen Jones, 1957's Island in the Sun, and Robert Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow.
Belafonte was an early supporter of the civil rights movement in the 1950s, and one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s confidants. Throughout his career he has been an advocate for humanitarian causes, such as the anti-apartheid movement and USA for Africa. Since 1987 he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
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