On March 8, 1957, Belafonte married his second wife Julie Robinson, a former dancer with the Katherine Dunham Company who was of Jewish descent. After Henson's death in May 1990, Belafonte was asked to perform the song at Henson's memorial service. His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. In 1953, he signed a contract with RCA Victor, recording regularly for the label until 1974. [61] In response to criticism about his remarks Belafonte asked, "What do you call Bush when the war he put us in to date has killed almost as many Americans as died on 9/11 and the number of Americans wounded in war is almost triple? [32] They had two children, David and Gina. When he was asked about his expectation of criticism for his remarks on the war in Iraq, Belafonte responded: "Bring it on. He married Frank in 2008 and he was also married to Marguerite Belafonte from 1948 to 1957. As part of the symposium, he performed a concert for UNICEF. He is the executive director of the family-held company Belafonte Enterprises Inc. Gina Belafonte is a TV and film actress, who helped found The Gathering For Justice, a non-profit organization working to reintroduce nonviolence. One of the songs included in the album is the now famous "Banana Boat Song" (listed as Day-O on the Calypso LP), which reached number five on the pop charts, and featured its signature lyric "Day-O".[17]. Belafonte started his career in music as a club singer in New York to pay for his acting classes. He added that it was also the first million-selling album ever in England. In 1984, Belafonte produced and scored the musical film Beat Street, dealing with the rise of hip-hop culture. In 2004, he was awarded the Domestic Human Rights Award in San Francisco by Global Exchange. Together with Arthur Baker, he produced the gold-certified soundtrack of the same name. He also acts as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues. He is married to model and singer Malena Belafonte who toured with Belafonte. Belafonte also performed during the rat pack era in Las Vegas. He appears in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018) as an elderly civil rights pioneer. "[73], In March 2019, Belafonte was not able to attend a Sanders Institute Gathering due to health reasons. Nationalizing Rap in Cuba. in 2006. Belafonte's political beliefs were inspired by singer and Communist activist Paul Robeson, who mentored him. David, Belafonte's only son, is a former model and actor and is an Emmy-winning and Grammy nominated music producer. "[64] During the Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech at Duke University in January 2006, Belafonte said that if he could choose his epitaph it would be, "Harry Belafonte, Patriot."[65]. Belafonte has been a longtime critic of U.S. foreign policy. Dusty Springfield. From the mid-1970s to early 1980s, Belafonte spent the greater part of his time on tour, which included concerts in Japan, Europe, and Cuba. [16] At the end of the 1940s, he took classes in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York with the influential German director Erwin Piscator alongside Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, and Sidney Poitier, while performing with the American Negro Theatre. His album Midnight Special (1962) included a young harmonica player named Bob Dylan. Gina Belafonte is a TV and film actress and worked with her father as coach and producer on more than six films. The film also starred James Mason, Dandridge, Joan Collins, Michael Rennie, and John Justin. He was a vocal critic of President W. Bush.