Harry Belafonte was already a legend when he appeared on “The Muppet Show” in 1979 – he was about 52 years old – and now, looking back, he seems so young.
He starred in the film version of “Carmen Jones” opposite Dorothy Dandridge – his singing voice dubbed (!) by LeVern Hutcherson – but he turned down “Porgy and Bess,” which he found “racially demeaning.” Both films were directed by Otto Preminger.
I will also always remember him for a moody, post-apocalyptic film, “The World, the Flesh and the Devil,” which he co-produced.
Belafonte was never complacent in his celebrity. A disciple of Martin Luther King and Paul Robeson, he remained socially and politically engaged.
He died earlier today at the age of 96.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/25/harry-belafonte-singer-dies-actor-singer-activist