I always forget that he acted also. I saw a trailer a while ago for the Robert Wise 1959 noir film Odds Against Tomorrow where he played a bank robber, and I was like, "Oh yeah, he acts too." Then, last week I saw a DVD of the 1995 film White Man's Burden with him and John Travolta, and again I thought, "Oh yeah, I forgot again!" What a versatile guy.
Posts: 5586 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA | Registered: April 11, 2001
While he had a very pleasant voice, it was overshadowed by his strident and often times, offensive speech. He was a Leftist, viewed just about everything through a racial lens but, was more than happy to take the money and cozy-up to those he despised.
Posts: 14657 | Location: Wine Country | Registered: September 20, 2000
Didn't really know much about him. But he sounds like a real shitty work of art. Snipped from his wiki page, the irony of his statement: On December 9, 2012, in an interview with Al Sharpton on MSNBC, Belafonte expressed dismay that many political leaders in the United States continue to oppose Obama’s policies even after his re-election: "The only thing left for Barack Obama to do is to work like a third-world dictator and just put all of these guys in jail. You're violating the American desire.
So, basically, the American desire is to be a 3rd world dictatorship? If so, not to speak ill of the dead, but fuck him and good riddance.
"Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy "A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book
Posts: 12724 | Location: In the gilded cage | Registered: December 09, 2007
Thanks guys; my memories of him were pretty positive from his film work, but he took a hard left turn in life and then floored it. Konata88's post with the Wiki clip was a jaw dropper. Slight edit to the original post.
He should have just made music and enjoyed the good life but instead he had to be a nasty, racist, hate spewing commie lover. I won’t mourn the loss of that polemic.
Posts: 3150 | Location: Manheim, PA | Registered: September 04, 2007
Belafonte didn't have a particularly impressive body of work; his big hit was the day-o Banana Boat song. His music was a fad, calypso stuff for a brief moment. His film work was largely blaxploitation stuff. He wasn't Chuck Berry or Sidney Poitier. But he became more well known for being a civil rights commie who felt Fidel Castro was the greatest. Even Obama got tired of him haranguing him about not doing enough for black people.
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
Posts: 16707 | Location: Texas | Registered: May 13, 2003
I was never a fan but he was part of the Chastain Park summer concert series sometime in the mid to late 90s. Our office bought a few tickets for the series and employees drew for the dates. I wanted Bob Seger or somebody like that but a friend and I ended up with Harry Belafonte. It was a fun concert (he kept fun on the stage that night and politics off of it) but I wouldn’t have paid for it. My wife and I both recalled the evening last night in hearing of his passing. I told her that I hadn’t even known he was still alive up to that point.
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"Aut viam inveniam aut faciam (I will either find a way or make one)." -- Hannibal Barca
Posts: 2106 | Location: Georgia | Registered: July 19, 2008
Residuals Appearance fee's Write a few books Get paid for speeches; no shortage of Leftist schools and organizations who will dearly pay to have this 'icon' speak at their event I'm sure he lost a chunk with bad investments. There's more than a few financial managers and firms who crave having celebrities in their portfolio, more so they can rub elbows and gain more wealthy clients. Most agents worth their salt are going to steer their clients, towards some level of financial education and literacy so they don't blow the gravy-train for everyone involved. Belafonte had several marriages, I'm sure there was some financial losses there as he was a known playboy.
Posts: 14657 | Location: Wine Country | Registered: September 20, 2000
The dead GDC (thank you to our departed friend JALLEN for the acronym) was a foolish fool indeed. To heap more scorn upon his memory I post a link to the post 9/11 video 'Hey Mr. Taliban'.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye". The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, pilot and author, lost on mission, July 1944, Med Theatre.
Posts: 5965 | Location: Central Texas | Registered: September 14, 2003
