Harry Belfonte started his Broadway career in 1953, in the show "John Murray’s Anderson’s Almanac." He won a Tony Award for his performance.<br><br>Harry Belafonte is seen singing at a microphone in this publicity handout dated July 10, 1953.

His first movie role was also in 1953, where he co-starred with the actress Dorothy Dandridge. The following year, they teamed up again for the movie "Carmen Jones."

Belafonte continued his singing career while acting on the stage and the screen. Here, he records "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" and "Jerry (This Timber Got To Roll)" in the studio, circa 1955.

In 1956, his "Calypso" album was released, which included the "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," which was a hit. This album sold over 1 million copies and led to his nickname, “the king of Calypso.”

Harry Belafonte with his second wife, dancer Julie Robinson, in Los Angeles, Aug. 2, 1957. Belafonte divorced his first wife, Marguerite Byrd, to marry Robinson, the only white member of Katherine Dunham’s dance troupe, which drew criticism from some. They divorced in 2004 and he married Pamela Frank in 2008.

Belafonte was the first African-American to ever win an Emmy. He won in 1960 in the category of best variety special for the show "Tonight With Belafonte." He was also the first African-American television producer and he founded the company HarBel Productions.

He became involved in the civil rights movement, speaking at protests and rallies and providing financial backing to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.<br><br>A large crowd listens to Harry Belafonte speak at a civil rights rally on West 38th Street in New York, May 27, 1960.

He helped organize the March on Washington and addressed the crowds at the Lincoln Memorial during the march in 1963.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Harry Belafonte became friends in the 1950s and remained friends until King’s untimely death.<br><br>Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. talks with singer Harry Belafonte in Paris in 1966.

Coretta Scott King, widow of slain American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., sits with actor and singer Harry Belafonte at King's funeral in Atlanta, April 9, 1968.

Gregory Hines, Tony Randall, Arthur Ashe, Ruby Dee, Randall Robinson, Ossie Davis, and Harry Belafonte, speak at a press conference to announce Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid at the United Nations building in New York, Sept. 14, 1983.

Belafonte sings at the finale of Live Aid at Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia, July 13, 1985.

President Bill Clinton shakes hands with Belafonte after presenting him with the National Medal of Arts Award, on Oct. 14, 1994, in Washington, D.C.

Parade grand marshal Harry Belafonte waves a Pride flag during NYC Pride 2013 on June 30, 2013, in New York.

Honoree Harry Belafonte accepts the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award onstage during the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' 2014 Governors Awards on Nov. 8, 2014, in Hollywood, Calif. After winning this and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, he thus confirmed his EGOT status.

For decades, he has fought for civil rights and justice, not only in the United States, but around the world.<br><br>Harry Belafonte attends the 2011 Justice Awards ceremony at the Harold M. Proshansky Auditorium, The Graduate Center on April 5, 2011, in New York.