Harry Belafonte
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 1, 1927
- Died
- April 25, 2023
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, USA
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 critic of the policies of the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations. Belafonte acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues. Belafonte 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 and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category. Description above from the Wikipedia article Harry Belafonte, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
King Leopold’s Ghost TBA
Producer
Nat King Cole & Friends Unforgettable Hits TBA
as Self (archive footage)
Dangerous Citizen: The Life and Times of Abraham Polonsky 2026
as Self
CIRILO, A Legacy Untold 2025
Actor
Following Harry 2024
as Self (archive footage)
Jim Henson Idea Man 2024
as Self (archive footage)
The Greatest Night in Pop 2024
as Self (archive footage)
Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan 2023
as Self
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes 2023
as Self
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2022
as Self - Inductee (archive footage)
Is That Black Enough for You?!? 2022
as Self
Sidney 2022
as Self
Harry Belafonte: Between Calypso and Justice 2022
as Self - Subject (archive footage)
The One and Only Dick Gregory 2021
as Self
Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something 2020
as Self
Dom Salvador & The Abolition 2020
as Self
The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show 2020
as Self
Nana Mouskouri, Momente ihres Lebens 2020
as Self (archive footage)
Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance 2020
as Self
The Man Behind the White Guitar 2019
as Self
BlacKkKlansman 2018
as Jerome Turner
Mr. SOUL! 2018
as Self
Rise Up: The Movement that Changed America 2018
as Self
Martin Luther King by Trevor Mcdonald 2018
as Self - Singer
King in the Wilderness 2018
as Self
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart 2017
as Self
- JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala 2017
as Self
The Madding Crowd 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Året var 1966 2016
as Self (archive footage)
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity 2015
as Self
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee 2014
as Self
Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark 2014
as Self
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley 2013
as Self
JFK: The Private President 2013
as Self
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington 2013
as Self
Hava Nagila: The Movie 2012
as Self
Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom 2012
as Self
Sing Your Song 2012
as Self
- Rise Like Lions
Rise Like Lions 2011
as Self
Mama Africa 2011
as Self (archive footage)
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 2011
as Self (voice)
The University of Sing Sing 2011
as Self
Motherland 2010
as Self
American Renegade: Confessions of a Radical Humanist 2009
as Self
Anecdotes about Fidel 2009
Actor
Bobby 2006
as Nelson
Mo & Me 2006
Actor
Best Ever Muppet Moments 2006
as Self
Pictoplasma: Characters in Motion, Vol. 1 2005
Music
- The Peace!
The Peace! 2005
as Self
Legenden: Audrey Hepburn 2005
as Self
- Muppet Music Moments
Muppet Music Moments 2004
as Self
The Legendary Nat King Cole 2004
as Self
- Donald McKayle: Heartbeats of a DanceMaker
Donald McKayle: Heartbeats of a DanceMaker 2004
as self
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism 2004
as Self (archive footage)
The World of Nat King Cole 2004
as Self
Sesame Street: Elmo's World: The Street We Live On! 2004
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years 2004
as Self (archive footage)
Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 2002
as Self (uncredited)
Altman on His Own Terms 2000
as Self
Swing Vote 1999
as Will Dunn
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand 1999
as Self
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist 1998
as Self, Thanks
Audrey Hepburn: The Fairest Lady 1997
as Self
Jazz '34 1997
as Self - Narrator
Kansas City 1996
as Seldom Seen
White Man's Burden 1995
as Thaddeus Thomas
The Affair 1995
Executive Producer
Prêt-à-Porter 1994
as Self
The World of Jim Henson 1994
as Self
The Best Of Danny Kaye - The Television Years 1993
as Self (archive footage)
Haiti: Killing the Dream 1992
Producer
The Player 1992
as Harry Belafonte
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson 1990
as Self
Jim Henson's Memorial Service 1990
Actor
We Shall Overcome 1989
as Self - Narrator
The Unforgettable Nat King Cole 1989
as Self
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute 1988
as Self
The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert 1988
as Self
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years 1986
as Self (archive footage)
- An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. 1986
Actor
The Muppet Revue 1985
as Self
We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song 1985
as Self
Beat Street 1984
Original Music Composer
Night of 100 Stars 1982
as Self
- Grambling's White Tiger
Grambling's White Tiger 1981
as Coach Eddie Robinson
- The Royal Variety Performance 1977
The Royal Variety Performance 1977 1977
as Self
The Tallest Tree in Our Forest 1977
as Self
Uptown Saturday Night 1974
as Geechie Dan Beauford
Free to Be… You and Me 1974
as Self
Nationtime: Gary 1972
as Self
Buck and the Preacher 1972
as Preacher, Producer
The Angel Levine 1970
as Alexander Levine, Producer
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis 1970
as Self (archive footage)
Petula 1968
as Self
The Strolling '20s 1966
as Self
The Day of the Oath 1965
as Self
- Harry Belafonte in Concert
Harry Belafonte in Concert 1960
as Self
Odds Against Tomorrow 1959
as Johnny Ingram, Co-Producer
The World, the Flesh and the Devil 1959
as Ralph Burton, Producer
Island in the Sun 1957
as David Boyeur
Carmen Jones 1954
as Joe
Bright Road 1953
as Mr. Williams - School Principal
Credits from TMDB.