Harry Belafonte

singer, civil rights activist

Harry Belafonte's studied drama at Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop, where a singing role led to night-club engagements and a recording contract as a pop singer. In 1950 he became a folksinger, learning songs at the Library of Congress' American folk-song archives. He sang West Indian folk songs as well, in nightclubs and theatres; his handsome appearance added to his appeal as a frequent performer on television variety programs. With hit recordings such as "Day-O" (Banana Boat Song) and "Jamaica Farewell," he initiated a fad for calypso music; in the mid-1950s his *Harry Belafonte and Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites* were the first of his series of hit folk-song albums. Belafonte was the male lead (but did not sing) in the film musical Carmen Jones (1954), a success that led to a starring role in the film *Island in the Sun* (1957). He also produced the film *Odds Against Tomorrow* (1959), in which he acted, and in the 1960s became the first African-American television producer. He helped introduce South African singer Miriam Makeba and Greek singer Nana Mouskouri to American audiences. A civil-rights activist, he was also active in charitable work. In the 1970s, when his singing career was a secondary occupation, he was featured in the films *Buck and the Preacher* (1972) and *Uptown Saturday Night* (1974).