How Many Children Does Harry Belafonte Have?
Actor, activist, 2022 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and legendary "King of Calypso" Harry Belafonte is also a father of four children who have followed in their talented father's footsteps in their own individual ways. Belafonte was married to Marguerite Byrd, as reported by Jukebugs, whom he met while he was serving in the Navy and she was a student of early childhood education. Per IMDb, Byrd and Belafonte married in 1948 and she went on to appear in the 1959 movie "Night of the Quarter Moon." Their first child, Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, grew up to found the Anir Foundation in 1997 with her daughter, according to West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
Per West Virginia Federation of Democratic Women, Biesemeyer served as a licensed professional counselor and as chair of the West Virginia Board of Examiners of Counseling. She was also instrumental in facilitating the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Center for International Medicine and Cultural Concerns, and has since retired to focus on the Anir Foundation and other projects.
Shari Belafonte followed in her father's footsteps
Marguerite and Harry Belafonte's second daughter, Shari Belafonte, was born in September 1954, according to IMDb. Per the Washington Post, she went to college at Carnegie-Mellon University, and worked as a production assistant and publicity assistant before making her cinematic debut in the 1982 film "If You Could See What I Hear." Roles in more films, theater productions, and television movies and shows followed, including five seasons on the TV drama "Hotel."
As reported by Turner Classic Movies, Shari also had a successful career as a model, appearing on several magazine covers and in an advertisement for Calvin Klein jeans. Per Discogs, she also released several singles and two full-length albums, "Eyes of Night" and "Shari." More recently, Shari has been part of the ensemble cast, along with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, of the television drama "The Morning Show," according to Screen Rant, and she's appeared on several episodes of the series "Gen: Lock," according to The A.V. Club.
Shari Belafonte is a photographer, too
Shari Belafonte has been married to actor Sam Behrens since 1989. Per AARP, she has been an avid photographer for years, shooting stills for movies with several exhibits and projects, including one called "Gimme Your Goofy-est." Shari told AARP, "I asked a bunch of people — everyone from random concertgoers to well-known celebrities — to give me the worst face they could possibly come up with ... " In January 2022, Shari spoke to People magazine about her father's wellbeing after the death of his longtime friend and fellow actor and activist Sidney Poitier. (Harry Belafonte and Poitier had a unique relationship.) Shari told People, "Losing Sidney is probably the most difficult thing my father has had to fathom, more so than losing Martin L. King."
As reported by The New Yorker, Harry Belafonte met dancer Julie Robinson while filming the movie "Carmen Jones." Shortly after Shari was born, Marguerite Belafonte found love letters Robinson had sent her husband and the two separated. Belafonte and Robinson then married in 1957 and had two children together, according to Hollywood Life.
David Belafonte has worked alongside his father
Harry Belafonte's third child, David Belafonte, was born September 30, 1957 in New York, per IMDb. He has appeared in a handful of acting roles himself, and earned an Emmy Award for his work as a producer. According to his BOLD Capital Group profile, he spent 20 years as vice president and executive director of Belafonte Enterprises, Inc., which has handled his father's career and produced "award winning records, films, television specials, and live events as well as owning three music publishing companies."
As of 2021, per his LinkedIn profile, David is the executive director and co-founder of the Belafonte Family Foundation. He's also a partner with The Pink Pirate Agency, LLC and The Journey Fashion Festival, LLC and served as executive producer of Front & Center Entertainment, which produced the television series "Front and Center." He is married to Malena Belafonte and they have two children, according to IMDb.
Gina Belafonte also embraces art and activism
Harry Belafonte and Julie Robinson's second child, Gina Belafonte, was born September 8, 1961 in New York, per IMDb. She has acted in a long list of movies and television shows and has produced several award-winning films, including the 2011 biopic of her father, "Sing Your Song." She is also the executive director of Sankofa, an organization founded by Harry Belafonte that "educates, motivates, and activates artists and allies in service of grassroots movements and equitable change." Per her biography on the Sankofa site, she acted in several New York stage productions before moving to Los Angeles to work in movies and television, including an ongoing role on the show "The Commish." After the birth of her daughter, she began working as an activist in earnest, founding The Gathering For Justice, a nonprofit focused on youth incarceration. She also joined the boards for the anti-violence organization Board of 2nd Call as well as actor Tim Robbins' Actors Gang Theatre. Per 200 Women, she also directed the hip-hop musical "Lyrics From Lockdown" and co-organized the 2017 Women's March in Los Angeles.
In 2022, Gina spoke with Essence magazine about Sankofa's new program that combines virtual reality technology with the arts to provide mental health services to current inmates and formerly incarcerated people who are rejoining society. She told reporter Jasmine Browley, "We are aiming to create a deeper, more extensive vocabulary of ways to heal these trauma triggers so it does not always result in bad behavior and subsequent recidivism."