Singer, activist, actor, and friend Harry Belafonte has died at age 96 on April 25, 2023.
C&I would like to extend its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of singer, actor, and activist Harry Belafonte, who passed at age 96 on April 25, 2023 as a result of congestive heart failure in his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
C&I readers will remember Belafonte as an immensely popular singer and might recall him in the “terrifically enjoyable western adventure bromance” (The Guardian) Buck and the Preacher. Sidney Poitier’s 1972 directorial debut, the film, which was just rereleased “in all its galloping glory” this March, cast Belafonte as the Preacher, opposite Poitier’s Buck.
What sad but fortuitous timing to be able to watch the restored film now to remember the great talent Belafonte was. Beyond his good looks, charismatic smile, and undeniable talent as a singer, he was hailed as a trailblazer for civil rights. One of the first Black talents to break into the upper crust of show business, he transcended racial barriers through his music and performance quality.
Born to West Indian immigrants in 1927, Belafonte infused the Harlem music scene with a Caribbean twist through chart-climbing songs such as “(Day-O) The Banana Boat Song,” “Jamaica Farewell,” “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora),” “Calypso,” “Mary’s Boy Child,” “Matilda,” and many more.
As his music career took off, Hollywood couldn’t help but get a piece of the handsome rising star. Belafonte made his film debut in 1953’s Bright Road, alongside stars Dorothy Dandridge, Barbara Randolph, and Maidie Norman.
With the success of his Hollywood career, it wasn’t long before he crossed paths with fellow entertainment trailblazer Sidney Poitier. Soon the two were friends as well as collaborators, working together to bring Poitier’s directorial debut, Buck and the Preacher, to life. The western opened to rave reviews, solidifying the two within Western entertainment history.
“For over 80 years, Sidney and I laughed, cried, and made as much mischief as we could,” Belafonte said of his friend upon Poitier's death in January 2022. Shari Belafonte, Harry Belafonte’s daughter, stated, “They were closer than brothers. … They both focused on making this world a better place for all people, not just people of color.”
Belafonte worked alongside influential activists such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the struggle for equal rights and representation. His efforts were instrumental in the success of organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which Belafonte helped start, and Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
While Black stories still find themselves in the wings of Western cinema, it was actors and activists such as Harry Belafonte who pushed to represent the Black cowboy in film. C&I thanks the legend for his many contributions to society, song, and culture — and for leaving as part of his legacy a cinematic buddy pairing that Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, suggested might one day be spoken of in the same breath as Butch and Sundance.
Buck and the Preacher was rereleased in cinemas in March of this year, courtesy of Park Circus in glorious new 4K restoration. The genre-bending film can be streamed on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.