Harry Belafonte is a true son of Harlem who celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday on March 1st. While most of the notable uptown icons from the Renaissance years came from elsewhere, Belafonte was actually born in Harlem during the 1920s and would eventually become one of the first African American male superstars by the 1950s. The world would quickly take notice of the leading man's dashing looks from his Caribbean heritage which also included Scottish and Jewish grandparents. These natural attributes along with being a recording artist that introduced audiences to Calypso music would catapult the young performer into the film industry with leading ladies such as Dorothy Dandridge and Joan Fontaine. The icon would eventually become a vocal activist for civil rights and still has not slowed down later in life. In honor of the entertainer's achievements, New York City has named the 115th Street library after the icon this past month:
LINK
No comments:
Post a Comment