Renowned entertainer and human rights activist, Harry Belafonte gives a profound and inspiring account of his career and personal growth in the context of the human rights struggle. Mr. Belafonte discusses his friendship with Dr. King and his work in the entertainment industry.


Harry Belafonte has been called "the consummate entertainer" – an artist in every field in which he has participated. He has been a concert singer, a recording artist, and a movie, Broadway, and television star and producer. Mr. Belafonte's worldwide concert tours have repeatedly sold out since his first appearances in 1956. He has broken attendance records in most major cities where he has performed and has established a global relationship with audiences that has lasted more than 40 years.

Mr. Belafonte's activity in the human rights struggle is globally respected. His awards and recognitions encompass both of his roles as an artist and humanitarian. He believes that his work for human rights and his artistic pursuits give him the basis for a most productive and balanced life. "My social and political interests are part of my career. I can't separate them," he says. "The role of art isn't just to show life as it is, but to show life as it should be."

Mr. Belafonte has been honored many times by such diverse groups as the American Jewish Congress, NAACP, City of Hope, Fight for Sight, Urban League, National Conference of Black Mayors, Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, ACLU, State Department, Boy Scouts of America, Hadassah International, and Peace Corps.

Mr. Belafonte has served as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 1987; he founded the USA for Africa project and was deeply involved in Hands Across America. For the past several years he has continued to devote himself globally to civil and human rights issues, focusing in particular on the United States and South Africa. Mr. Belafonte has travelled to Cuba numerous times, both as a performer and as an invited guest of various film and music festivals.

PASS THE TORCH is proud to have Harry Belafonte as our debut Speaker. Belafonte gives a profound and inspiring account of his career and personal growth in the context of the human rights struggle in the 20th Century.

Discography (Original Recordings 1954-1997)
Belafonte Sings Five Early Songs, Coronet/Celebrity/Deacon, 195?.
"Mark Twain" And Other Folk Favorites, RCA/Victor, 1954.
Belafonte, RCA/Victor, 1956.
Calypso, RCA/Victor, 1956.
An Evening With Belafonte, RCA/Victor, 1957.
Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean, RCA/Victor, 1957.
Belafonte Sings of Christmas, RCA/Victor, 1958.
Belafonte Sings the Blues, RCA/Victor, 1958.
Love is A Gentle Thing, RCA/Victor, 1959.
Porgy and Bess (w/Lena Horne), RCA/Victor, 1959.
Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, RCA/Victor, 1959.
My Lord What A Mornin', RCA/Victor, 1960.
Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall, RCA/Victor, 1960.
Swing Dat Hammer, RCA/Victor, 1960.
Jump Up Calypso, RCA/Victor, 1961.
Midnight Special, RCA/Victor, 1962.
The Many Moods of Belafonte, RCA/Victor, 1962.
Belafonte Merry Christmas, RCA/Victor, 1962.
Streets I Have Walked, RCA/Victor, 1963.
Belafonte at the Greek Theater, RCA/Victor, 1964.
Blues, Ballads, and Boasters, RCA/Victor, 1964.
An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba, RCA/Victor, 1965.
An Evening with Belafonte/Mouskouri, RCA/Victor, 1966.
In My Quiet Room, RCA/Victor, 1966.
Calypso in Brass, RCA/Victor, 1966.
Belafonte on Campus, RCA/Victor, 1967.
Belafonte Sings of Love, RCA/Victor, 1968.
Homeward Bound, RCA/Victor, 1970.
Belafonte By Request, RCA/Victor, 1970.
For the Love of Life (with Lena Horne), RCA/Victor, 1970.
The Warm Touch, RCA/Victor, 1971.
Calypso Carnival, RCA/Victor, 1971.
Belafonte...Live, RCA/Victor, 1972.
Play Me, RCA/Victor, 1973.
Belafonte - Concert in Japan, RCA/Victor, 1974.
Turn the World Around, CBS/SONY, 1977.
Loving You is Where I Belong, CBS/SONY, 1977.
Paradise In Gazankulu, EMI, 1988.
Stationen (Germany) Belafonte '89, EMI, 1990.
An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Friends, Island, 1997.

Actor Filmography (1953-1999)
"Sugar Hill Times", performer; musical variety show, 1949 (TV Series).
Bright Road, MGM, 1953.
Carmen Jones, 20th Century Fox/Carlyle Productions, 1954.
Island in the Sun, 20th Century Fox/DFZ Productions, 1957.
The World the Flesh and the Devil, HarBel Productions /MGM, 1959.
Odds Against Tomorrow, HarBel Productions, 1959.
King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis, narrator; Commonwealth United Entertainment, 1970.
The Angel Levine, Belafonte Enterprises/United Artists, 1970.
A World of Love, host; UNICEF documentary, 1971 (TV).
Buck and the Preacher, Belafonte Enterprises/Columbia Pictures/E&R Productions Corp., 1972.
Uptown Saturday Night, First Artists/Verdon Productions Limited, 1974.
Free to Be...You & Me, himself; ABC, 1974.
Gramblings White Tiger, 1981 (TV).
A Veces Miro Mi Vida, himself; Cuba, 1982.
Roots of Rhythm, himself (narrator/host); Cultural Research and Communication/KCET Los Angeles, 1984.
We Are the World: The Video Event, RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, 1985 (V).
Harry Belafonte – Global Carnival, himself; 1988 (V).
We Shall Overcome, narrator; California Newsreel, 1989.
Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, himself; 1990 (TV).
"Eyes on the Prize II", himself; PBS, 1990 (TV mini-series).
The Player, himself; Avenue Pictures/Guild/Spelling Entertainment, 1992.
Prêt-à-Porter (Ready to Wear), himself; Miramax Films, 1994.
White Man's Burden, A Band Apart/Chromatic/HBO/Rysher Entertainment/UGC Images, 1995.
Kansas City, CiBy 2000/Sandcastle 5 Productions, 1996.
Robert Altman's Jazz '34, narrator; CiBy Pictures/Sandcastle 5 Productions, 1996.
Danny Kaye: A Legacy of Laughter, himself; documentary, WNET Channel 13 New York, 1996 (TV).
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist, himself; 1998 (TV).
Swing Vote, Columbia TriStar Television/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, 1999 (TV).

Producer Filmography
Beat Street, producer; Orion Pictures, 1984.
The Affair, executive producer; Black Tuesday Films/HBO, 1999 (TV).
Parting the Waters, executive producer; Columbia TriStar Television, 1999 (TV mini-series).

Books Written BY Harry Belafonte:
Children Just Like Me with Susan Elizabeth Copsey, Barnabas Kindersley, and Anabel Kindersley, (DK Publishing, 1995)
Island in the Sun (Picture Books) with Lord Burgess, Alex Ayliffe (Illustrator), and Irving Burgie (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1999)

Books Written ABOUT Harry Belafonte:
Harry Belafonte: Singer & Actor by Genia Fopelson (All America Distributors Corp., 1999)