Harry Belafonte is an American Singer, activist, social activist, actor and a song writer. He was honored with Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science Governors Award. He is among few Caribbean Americans who were successful in pop genre and he was known as the King of Calyps because he popularized the Caribbean style. His breakthrough album was Calypso and it was the first album to sell in large number made by a single artist. He is well known because of his banana lyric sung in his singing signature, Day-O lyrics. He recorded many genres which include American Standard, Show Tunes, Gospel, Folk and blues. He starred in different movies like Odds Against Tomorrow, Robert Wise, Island in the Sun and the Carmen Jones, a musical hit under Otto Preminger.
He became a supporter of the civil right movement at the early age he was one of the confident for Martin Luther King Jr. He had advocated for many causes like the end of the apartheid was involved in the USA for Africa Movement. He was an active voice in criticizing the policies made by Barack Obama and George W Bush administration. He won three Grammy Awards and one was Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Other awards he got are Tony Award and Emmy Award. He got Kennedy Center Honors and National Medal of Arts.
Harry Belafonte was born under the name of Harold George Bellanfanti Jr to Harold George Bellanfati Sr. His father was a National Guard Chief and her mother Melvine was a housekeeper and she had Jamaican descent. He went to live with his grandmother in the Native country of Jamaica and he returned to New York to do his high school in George Washington High School. He then joined the Navy and he fought World War II. He worked as assistant janitor in NYC when one of the tenants gave him two tickets to see American Negro Theater and this is where he fell in love with art.
Belafonte married Marguerite Byrd, their marriage started in 1948 and ended in 1957. They had two daughters together, Shari and Adrienne. Shari Belafonte got married to Sam Behrens and she is an actress, singer, model and photographer.
In 1957, Harry Belafonte became the husband to Julie Robinson who was a dancer of Katherine Dunham Company. During their marriage, they have two children together, David and Gina. His marriage to Julie Robinson is known to be one of the longest marriages between interracial couple. However, they got a divorce after 50 years and they divorced in 2007. In the same year, he married his third wife, Pamela Frank. The longevity of marriage was also installed in the lives of his children who do not have the record of many divorces.
Harry Belafonte’s net worth is 28 million dollars and he had built it from the money he makes from his activist, actor and singer works. He was the first black to win an Emmy and to sell the highest number of his album. However, he says that his best achievement is fighting against World Hunger, violence and racism.
| Birth Date: | 1 Mar, 1927 |
| Age: | 93 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Harlem |
| Education: | The New School |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American recording artist; singer, songwriter, actor |
| Twitter Id: | Harrybelafonte |
| Net Worth 2021: | 28 million |
