Title

Harry Belafonte

Photographer

Nova Southeastern University

Preview

Description

Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr., March 1, 1927) is an American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor. One of the most successful Jamaican American pop stars ever as he popularised the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. Belafonte is known for his recording of "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". He has recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He has also starred in several films, including Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).

Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson a mentor and was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. As he later recalled, "Paul Robeson had been my first great formative influence; you might say he gave me my backbone. Martin King was the second; he nourished my soul." Throughout his career, Belafonte has been an advocate for political and humanitarian causes, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the USA for Africa. Since 1987, he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush presidential administrations. Belafonte acts as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.

Belafonte has won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards.

Photo credit: Gerlinde Photography

Date Digital

2017

Format

color photographic print

Digital Collection

Forum

Repository

NSU Archives, Nova Southeastern University

Rights

Educational use only, no other permissions given. U.S. and international copyright laws may protect this item. Commercial use or distribution of this digital object is not permitted without written permission of the Nova Southeastern University Archives.

Copyright

Efforts by Nova Southeastern University Archives to locate an heir of the creator or a holder of the copyright to the materials were unsuccessful. If you know of a verifiable copyright holder for this item or if you have any question regarding the publication rights, please contact the Nova Southeastern University Archives.

Digitization Specifications

Scanned from a photographic print using a EPSON Perfection V700 Photo Scanner at 600 dpi in Tiff format