Biography
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor and activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s. Belafonte is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category. He earned his career breakthrough with the album Calypso (1956), which was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child". He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final screen appearance in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018). Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson a mentor, and he was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a vocal…
Movies & TV Shows
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BlacKkKlansman (2018) — Jerome Turner
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The Player (1992) — Harry Belafonte
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Bobby (2006) — Nelson
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The Muppet Show (1976) — Self - Special Guest Star
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The Colbert Report (2005) — Self - Guest
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The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) — Self (archive footage)
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Prêt-à-Porter (1994) — Self
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Kansas City (1996) — Seldom Seen
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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) — Johnny Ingram
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Carmen Jones (1954) — Joe
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) — Self
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White Man's Burden (1995) — Thaddeus Thomas
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The Oscars (1953) — Self
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The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) — Ralph Burton
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Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004) — Self (archive footage)
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Buck and the Preacher (1972) — Preacher
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When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) — Self
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Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) — Self (archive footage)
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Sidney (2022) — Self
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The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011) — Self (voice)
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Uptown Saturday Night (1974) — Geechie Dan Beauford
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Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022) — Self
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) — Self (uncredited)
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What's My Line? (1950) — Self
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The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) — Self
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Great Performances (1971) — Self
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Island in the Sun (1957) — David Boyeur
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CBS News Sunday Morning (1979) — Self
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The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) — Self
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The Dick Cavett Show (1968) — Self - Guest
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King in the Wilderness (2018) — Self
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The Flip Wilson Show (1970) — Self
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Wetten, dass..? (1981) — Self
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PB&J Otter (1998) — The Ice Moose (voice)
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Bobby Kennedy for President (2018) — Self
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The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996) — Self
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Mama Africa (2011) — Self (archive footage)
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We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song (1985) — Self
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The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) — Self
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Swing Vote (1999) — Will Dunn