Singer, actor, and activist who is best remembered for popularizing the calypso music genre and for his civil rights activism. He was born in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. His parents were Scottish-Afro-Jamaican and Dutch-Jewish. As a child, he moved to his mother's hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, and was introduced to calypso music. By his teens, he was living in New York City again. Upon dropping out of George Washington High School, he joined the U.S. Navy and served during World War II (WWII). He was enthralled by seeing the various plays at the American Negro Theater and became longtime friends with actor Sidney Poitier. Upon leaving the military, he took acting classes at The New School in New York where he befriended singer-actor-activist Paul Robeson. Robeson provided inspiration for him to pursue a career as a singer, actor, and activist. Signing with major label RCA Victor, he released his debut album in 1954, "Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites." Possessing a baritone vocal style when his third album, "Calypso" was released in 1956, the album popularized the calypso music genre, became the best-selling album of the year in the United States, and the first best-selling album by a solo artist. His most notable songs include: "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," "Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora)," "Jamaica Farewell" and "Mary's Boy Child." His most notable collaboration was Miriam Makeba. As an actor, he starred in the films: "Bright Road" (1953), "Carmen Jones" (1954), "Island in the Sun" (1957), "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959), "The World, the Flesh and the Devil" (1959), "Buck and the Preacher" (1972) and "Uptown Saturday Night" (1974). Outside of music, he advocated for civil rights and social activism. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was a friend of fellow civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was notably a participant alongside Charlton Heston, Joan Baez, and Sidney Poitier in the 1963 March on Washington that took place in Washington, D.C. where Dr. King gave his famed "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of over a quarter million people. His songs were reintroduced to a new generation when "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)" and "Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora)" appeared in Tim Burton's film, "Beetlejuice" (1988). He remained active as a touring performer into the 2000s. Among the honors he received are: an EGOT (Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Oscar & Tony Award; one of the few performers to receive this distinct accomplishment), a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for his contributions to music, located at 6721 Hollywood Blvd., the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2014), the National Medal of Arts (1994) and the Kennedy Center Honors (1989). He made his final film appearance in Spike Lee's "BlacKKKlansman" (2018). In 2022, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the Early Influence category. He died at his home in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, in 2023 from congestive heart failure at age 96.