Harry Belafonte's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Harry Belafonte. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Harry Belafonte was a prominent American singer, actor, and civil rights activist. He is best known for popularizing calypso music internationally during the 1950s and 1960s. His album *Calypso* (1956) achieved groundbreaking success as the first LP by a single artist to sell over a million copies. Belafonte leveraged his platform to advocate for civil rights, making him a significant figure in both the entertainment industry and social justice movements.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1954: Tony Award

In 1954, Harry Belafonte received a Tony Award for his participation in the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac.

1956: Release of the Calypso Album

In 1956, Harry Belafonte released his breakthrough album "Calypso", which became the first LP by a single artist to sell a million copies.

1956: Calypso album breakthrough

In 1956, Harry Belafonte's album "Calypso" became the first LP to sell more than one million copies in a year.

1958: Bought an Apartment Building

In Fall 1958, Belafonte bought the apartment building where he was refused to live and turned it into a co-op.

1960: Received Grammy Award for "Swing Dat Hammer"

In 1960, Harry Belafonte received a Grammy Award for the album "Swing Dat Hammer".

1960: Won Emmy for Revlon Revue

In 1960, Harry Belafonte won an Emmy for his performance on Revlon Revue.

1961: Ended Performance Boycott of the American South

In 1961, Belafonte ended his boycott of performing in the American South, which had started in 1954, as a protest against racial prejudice.

1965: Grammy Award for "An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba"

In 1965, Harry Belafonte received a Grammy Award for the album "An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba".

1986: Award of Appreciation

In 1986, the American Music Awards named "We Are the World" "Song of the Year" and honored Harry Belafonte with the Award of Appreciation.

1987: Appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

From 1987 until his death, Belafonte was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

1989: Kennedy Center Honors

In 1989, Harry Belafonte received the Kennedy Center Honors.

1994: Received National Medal of Arts

In 1994, Harry Belafonte received the National Medal of Arts.

1996: Starred in Kansas City

In 1996, Belafonte starred in Robert Altman's jazz age drama "Kansas City", which earned him the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.

2000: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2000, Harry Belafonte won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

2002: Grammy Nominations for "The Long Road to Freedom"

In 2002, "The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music" was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards.

2002: Received Africare's Humanitarian Service Award

In 2002, Africare awarded Belafonte the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award for his efforts.

2004: Awarded Domestic Human Rights Award

In 2004, Harry Belafonte was awarded the Domestic Human Rights Award in San Francisco by Global Exchange.

June 27, 2006: Received BET Humanitarian Award

On June 27, 2006, Belafonte received the BET Humanitarian Award at the 2006 BET Awards.

December 2007: Keynote Address at ACLU and Awarded Civil Liberties Award

In December 2007, Belafonte gave the keynote address at the ACLU of Northern California's annual Bill of Rights Day Celebration and was awarded the Chief Justice Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award.