'It's a song about my father, my mother, my uncles, the men and women who toil in the banana fields, the cane fields of Jamaica.' More than just a popular tune, it also held special meaning for Belafonte: 'That song is a way of life,' Belafonte later told The New York Times. 'The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)' proved to be a huge hit. With RCA Victor Records, he released Calypso (1956), an album featuring his take on traditional Caribbean folk music. The success of Carmen JonesВ in 1954 made Belafonte a star, and soon he became a music sensation. He later starred in the 1999 political drama Swing Vote, and appeared in 2006's Bobby, about the assassination of Robert F. White Man's Burden (1995), which co-starred John Travolta, was a commercial and critical disappointment, but Belafonte fared better in Robert Altman's Kansas City (1996), playing against type as a heartless gangster. He became an avid student of traditional folk songs from around the world and performed in such New York City clubs as the Village Vanguard.Д«elafonte returned to the big screen in the 1990s, first playing himself in the Hollywood-insider flick The Player (1992). In 1949 he landed his first recording deal.Д«y the early 1950s, Belafonte had dropped popular music from his repertoire in favor of folk. Backed by such talented musicians as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, Belafonte became a popular act at the club. Along with appearing in AMT productions, he caught the eye of music agent Monte Kay, who offered Belafonte the opportunity to perform at a jazz club called the Royal Roost.

Mesmerized by the performance, the young Navy vet volunteered to work for the AMT as a stagehand, eventually deciding to become an actor.Д«elafonte studied drama at the Dramatic Workshop run by Erwin Piscator, where his classmates included Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau and Bea Arthur.

He returned to New York City after his discharge and was working as a janitor's assistant when he first attended a production at the American Negro Theater (AMT). Dropping out of high school, Belafonte enlisted in the U.S.

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