Harry Belafonte awarded honorary ‘humanitarian Oscar’

Veteran actor-turned-activist Harry Belafonte received an honorary Oscar for his humanitarian work Saturday, at a star-studded Hollywood gala which also paid tribute to three other cinematic icons. Belafonte was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere and Irish actress Maureen O’Hara were given honorary awards. Among those paying tribute to the 87-year-old was British director Steve McQueen, whose “12 Years a Slave” won the Best Picture Academy Award earlier this year.

Artists are the radical voice of civilization. I really wish I could be around for the rest of this century, to see what Hollywood does with the rest of the century. Maybe, just maybe, it could be civilization’s game changer.

Harry Belafonte, actor

When away from the spotlight, Belafonte spent much of his life campaigning for various causes such as education, famine relief, children, AIDS awareness and civil rights. His films such as “Carmen Jones”, “Odds Against Tomorrow” and “The World, the Flesh and the Devil” helped portray the injustices of racism and inequality. He was an early supporter of the civil rights movement and marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr in his heyday. He was also named a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1987.

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