Harry Belafonte | Biography, Movies, & Facts Harry Belafonte, byname of Harold George Belafonte, Jr., (born March 1, 1927, New York City, New York, U.S.—died April 25, 2023, New York City, New York), American singer, actor, producer, and activist who was a key figure in the folk music scene of the 1950s, especially known for popularizing the Caribbean folk songs known as calypsos. He was also involved in various social causes, notably the civil rights movement. Belafonte was born in the Harlem district of New York City to emigrants from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Jamaica. When his mother returned to Jamaica in 1935, he joined