Belafonte, Harry (1927– )

US singer, actor, producer, and human rights activist. One of the most successful black American performers in history, Belafonte's ‘Banana Boat (Day-O)’ (1957) kickstarted a national craze for calypso music. His films include the drama Island in the Sun (1957) and the crime thriller Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).

Belafonte spent most of the 1970s and 1980s as a tireless humanitarian. He was a central figure of the ‘USA for Africa’ effort, singing on the 1986 single ‘We Are the World’. A year later, he replaced Danny Kaye as UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador.

Belafonte began performing with the American Negro Theater, while studying drama at Erwin Piscator's famed Dramatic Workshop alongside the likes of Marlon Brando. A singing role helped launch his recording career, which peaked in 1956 with the release of Calypso, the first album to sell over 1 million copies.