Harold
George
(Harry)
"King of Calypso"
Belafonte
Jr.
formerly Belanfonte
Born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Ancestors 
Brother of
Dennis Anthony Belafonte
Husband of
[private wife (1920s - 1990s)]
Husband of
Julia M Robinson
— married
8 Mar 1957 (to 2004) in Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United States
Husband of
[private wife (1940s - unknown)]
Descendants 
Father of
[private daughter (1950s - unknown)], Shari Belafonte, [private son (1950s - unknown)] and [private daughter (1960s - unknown)]
Died
at age 96
in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Profile managers:
Notables Project WikiTree 
[send private message], Emma MacBeath [send private message], and US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message]
[send private message], Emma MacBeath [send private message], and US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message]Profile last modified
| Created 25 Jan 2022
This page has been accessed 1,303 times.
| Harry (Belanfonte) Belafonte Jr. is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage |
| Harry (Belanfonte) Belafonte Jr. is notable. Join: Notables Project Discuss: notables |
Biography
Harry (Belanfonte) Belafonte Jr. was awarded the Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by an African American.
Harry (Belanfonte) Belafonte Jr. has Jamaican ancestors.
Harry Belafonte was an American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor.
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte was born on March 1st, 1927 in New York City, New York, USA [1] [2] [3] He was the son of Harold Belafonte and Melvine Love, both immigrants from the West Indies. [4]
Harry was married three times and had four children.[4][5]
He married Marguerite Byrd in 1948. They separated about 1952, before the birth of their daughter, Shari Belafonte.
Harry Belafonte (30) marriage to Julie Robinson on about 1957 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Harry first became known as singer, best known for songs like “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jamaica Farewell” that sparked new interest in Caribbean and Calypso music, though his music spanned various folk music genres. His album "Calypso" is said to be the first by a single artist to sell one million copies. After gaining success as a musician, Harry also began acting.[4]
In the late 1950s, Harry began to focus on Civil Rights activism. He became close friends with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and helped fund and fundraise for Civil Rights causes, using his influence to get other musicians and actors involved. He continued to be active in politics and the civil rights movement for the rest of his life.[4]
Harry died on April 25th, 2023 in his home in Manhattan in New York City, New York, USA. [4]
Sources
- ↑ New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index 1910-1965 Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61457 #144005 citing New York City Department of Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com; for Harold G. Belanfonte, b: 01 Mar 1927 Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
- ↑ U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men 1940-1947 Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2238 #193392053 citing National Archives at St.Louis; St.Louis County, Missouri; citing New York City 1940-1947; Record Group #147 Records of the Selective Service System; for Harold George Belafonte, b: 01 Mar 1927 New York, New York; reg: 17 Dec 1945 New York, New York; next of Kin: Melvine Wright
- ↑ Memoir: Harry Belafonte with Michael Shnayerson, My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race, and Defiance (New York: Vintage Books, 2012), page 17
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Harry Belafonte, 96, Dies; Barrier-Breaking Singer, Actor and Activist", obituary by Peter Keepnews; published: 25 Apr 2023 "New York Times"; archived
- ↑ U.S., Marriage Index 1800s-current Ancestry Record 62116 #67526696 from newspapers.com citing "Tucson Daily Citizen"; published: 10 Apr 1957 Tucson, Arizona, USA
- 1950 USA Census of New York City, New York; Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62308 #280656672 citing Record Group #29 roll#4547; ed#31-1736; sheet#2; for Harold Belafonte @25yrs; married; occ: actor
- Wikidata: Item Q214959, en:Wikipedia
for Harry Belafonte
- Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
Find A Grave: Memorial #252830499 (accessed 23 March 2024)
Memorial page for Harry Belafonte (1 Mar 1927-25 Apr 2023); Maintained by Find a Grave.
Is Harry your relative? Please don't go away!
Login to collaborate or comment, or
contact
a profile manager, or
ask our community of genealogists a question.
Login to collaborate or comment, or contact
a profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com
DNA
No known carriers of Harry's DNA have taken a DNA test. Have you taken a test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
No known carriers of Harry's DNA have taken a DNA test. Have you taken a test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Images: 3
- Harry Belafonte died today Apr 25, 2023.
Featured German connections: Harry is 29 degrees from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 22 degrees from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 28 degrees from Lucas Cranach, 26 degrees from Stefanie Graf, 27 degrees from Wilhelm Grimm, 27 degrees from Fanny Hensel, 29 degrees from Theodor Heuss, 21 degrees from Alexander Mack, 40 degrees from Carl Miele, 23 degrees from Nathan Rothschild, 27 degrees from Hermann Friedrich Albert von Ihering and 27 degrees from Ferdinand von Zeppelin on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
B > Belanfonte | B > Belafonte > Harold George (Belanfonte) Belafonte Jr.
Categories: EGOT Winners | Spingarn Medal | American Actors | US Civil Rights Activists | Singer-Songwriters | BET Humanitarian Award | Featured Connections Archive 2023 | US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles | Notables | African-American Notables
We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.
Thanks!
Abby