Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor, and activist, passed away yesterday at the age of 96. Belafonte was celebrated not only as a gifted performer but as a trailblazer in the entertainment industry, a fierce defender of civil rights, and an inspiration to many. Jason Heller writes more on his lasting impact in “How Harry Belafonte Transformed American Music.” Gathered below are images from Belafonte’s extraordinary and influential life.
Photos: The Extraordinary Life of Harry Belafonte
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![Performer Harry Belafonte poses on a television-studio set.]()
Read moreSinger Harry Belafonte appears in the "Adventures in Music" episode of the NBC show The Bell Telephone Hour in 1958. #
NBCUniversal / Getty -
-
![Harry Belafonte and Ed Sullivan stand surrounded by fans, signing autographs.]()
Read moreTelevision host Ed Sullivan and Harry Belafonte sign autographs for fans outside the Studio 50 television studios in New York City, circa 1955. Studio 50 would later be renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater. #
Archive Photos / Hulton Archive / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte stands at a lectern, singing in front of a large crowd of people standing in a street.]()
Read moreA crowd of more than 10,000 civil-rights marchers gathers in the Manhattan Garment Center as Harry Belafonte sings a spiritual at a civil-rights rally in 1960. #
Bettmann / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte stands besides Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a press conference.]()
Read moreDr. Martin Luther King Jr. (center) and James Forman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (left) announced at a news conference that their respective organizations would begin working together on civil-rights projects. Singer Harry Belafonte (right) presided over the meetings that brought the two leaders together. #
Bettmann / Getty -
-
![Part of a large crowd at the Lincoln Memorial, around Harry Belafonte, who speaks at a bank of microphones.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte addresses the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. #
Kurt Severin / Three Lions / Hulton Archive / Getty -
![Kirk Douglas and Harry Belafonte embrace each other playfully.]()
Read moreKirk Douglas and Harry Belafonte attend the 21st Annual Tony Awards Party at Sardi's restaurant in New York City on March 26, 1967. #
Ron Galella Collection / Getty -
![A large crowd of people stands in a street, behind Coretta Scott King.]()
Read moreA crowd gathers in Memphis, Tennessee, following the assassination of civil-rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on April 8, 1968. In the center, from left to right, are singer Harry Belafonte, Coretta Scott King with Jesse Jackson behind, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and Reverend Andrew Young. #
Santi Visalli / Archive Photos / Getty -
-
![Harry Belafonte sits on benches on a set, during a performance.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte performs "Mister Bojangles" on The Julie Andrews Hour in 1972. #
Disney General Entertainment / ABC Photo Archives / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte poses with Miss Piggy.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte poses with Miss Piggy on the set of The Muppet Show at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, circa 1978. #
TV Times / Getty -
![Five men sit at a table in front of microphones during a press conference.]()
Read moreFrom left: Gregory Hines, Tony Randall, Arthur Ashe, Ruby Dee, Randall Robinson, Ossie Davis, and Harry Belafonte, speak at a press conference to announce Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid at the United Nations building. #
Bettmann / Getty -
-
![Lauren Bacall and Harry Belafonte share a table at an event.]()
Read moreLauren Bacall and Harry Belafonte share a table at the Parade of Stars Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in New York City on May 2, 1983. #
Ron Galella Collection / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte marches with others, wearing a sign that reads "Free South Africa."]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte takes part in an anti-apartheid demonstration in front of the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., in 1984. #
Jean-Louis Atlan / Sygma / Getty -
![A group of performers raise their arms, celebrating onstage.]()
Read morePerformers celebrate onstage during the Live Aid benefit concert at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, on July 13, 1985. #
Bettmann / Getty -
-
![Harry Belafonte kneels, helping distribute food to refugees seated in front of him.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte participates in the distribution of food to refugees in Ethiopia, from earnings from the sale of the record "USA for Africa." #
William Campbell / Sygma / Getty -
![Lionel Richie, Sheila E., Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte, and Smokey Robinson sing together on stage.]()
Read moreFrom left, in foreground, performers Lionel Richie, Sheila E., Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte, and Smokey Robinson sing "We Are the World" at the 1986 American Music Awards in Los Angeles on January 27, 1986. The song was awarded Song of the Year, and organizer Harry Belafonte was presented with an Award of Appreciation. #
Disney General Entertainment / ABC Photo Archives / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte sings while gesturing on stage.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte performs in concert at the Cheyenne Civic Center on February 27, 1993, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. #
Mark Junge / Getty -
-
![Harry Belafonte poses with his wife, Julie, and Nelson Mandela.]()
Read moreIn this June 15,1999, photo, Harry Belafonte poses with his wife, Julie, and South African President Nelson Mandela in Pretoria, South Africa. Belafonte was in South Africa for the inauguration of the country's second democratic president, Thabo Mbeki. #
Themba Hadebe / AP -
![Harry Belafonte poses for a portrait in a recording studio.]()
Read moreOn November 1, 2001, Harry Belafonte poses for a portrait at a New York recording studio. #
Leslie Hassler / AP -
![Harry Belafonte speaks in front of a crowd of schoolchildren.]()
Read morePerformer and UNICEF ambassador Harry Belafonte addresses elementary-school children in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, on February 17, 2004, on the third day of his visit to assess the implementation of free education programs. Belafonte urged poor nations to fund their own free education programs instead of relying of unfulfilled promises from rich nations. #
Simon Maina / AFP / Getty -
-
![A crowd of people marches together.]()
Read moreCivil-rights activist Jesse Jackson (center right) leads a march with (from left) singer Harry Belafonte, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, and Representative Nancy Pelosi in downtown Atlanta to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and to call attention to the reauthorization of the act, in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 6, 2005. #
Steve Schaefer TLC / Reuters -
![Harry Belafonte walks the runway at a fashion show.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte walks the runway at the Kenneth Cole fall 2005 show during Olympus Fashion Week at Bryant Park in New York City on February 4, 2005. #
Mark Mainz / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte waves a rainbow flag while riding in an open convertible in a parade.]()
Read moreParade Grand Marshal Harry Belafonte attends the March during NYC Pride 2013 on June 30, 2013, in New York City. #
D Dipasupil / Getty -
-
![Harry Belafonte sings with students and faculty members.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte sings with Berklee College of Music students and faculty after receiving an honorary doctorate of music degree from the college at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on March 6, 2014. #
Michael Dwyer / AP -
![Harry Belafonte speaks after accepting an award.]()
Read moreHonoree Harry Belafonte accepts the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from actor Sidney Poitier onstage during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 2014 Governors Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 8, 2014, in Hollywood, California. #
Kevin Winter / Getty -
![Harry Belafonte receives a medal at a ceremony.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte receives the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest award bestowed by the French government, from the Ambassador of France to the United States, Phillipe Étienne, at a Private Residence in New York City on December 16, 2021. #
Kevin Mazur / Getty for HB -
-
![Harry Belafonte looks over his shoulder in a recording studio.]()
Read moreHarry Belafonte, photographed in an unspecified recording studio, circa 1957 #
Hulton Archive / Getty
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected].