Many people wonder if Stephen Belafonte, the film producer and ex-husband of singer Mel B, is related to Harry Belafonte, the legendary singer, actor and activist. The answer is no, they are not related to each other. Despite sharing the same surname, there is no familial connection between the two individuals. Here is why.
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Stephen Belafonte: A Hollywood Producer
Stephen Belafonte was born on May 18, 1975, in Hollywood, California. His love for movies started at a young age, which led him to pursue a degree in film producing from Loyola Marymount University in 1997. During his college years, he directed a few documentaries and graduated with a degree in film producing.
After graduation, he decided to pursue a career in filmmaking and made his debut with the satirical comedy Thank You for Smoking in 2005. This movie was based on a book of the same name and starred Aaron Eckhart as a tobacco industry spokesperson. The movie received favorable reviews from both viewers and critics.
Stephen Belafonte’s second movie, Mutant Chronicles, was a science fiction film partially based on a game and was produced by him in 2008. He is also recognized for contributing to the 2009 neo-noir movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Harry Belafonte: A Music and Civil Rights Icon
Harry Belafonte was born on March 1, 1927, in New York City, to Jamaican-born parents Harold George Bellanfanti Sr., who worked as a chef, and Melvine (née Love), a housekeeper. He spent some of his childhood years in Jamaica before returning to New York. He developed an interest in music and theater and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Harry Belafonte earned his career breakthrough with the album Calypso (1956), which was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. He popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 60s. He was best known for his recordings of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”, “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)”, “Jamaica Farewell”, and “Mary’s Boy Child”. He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards.
He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final feature film appearance in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018).
Harry Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson to be a mentor. He was also a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations. He acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.
He won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category. He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.
Why Stephen Belafonte Chose His Surname
Stephen Belafonte is not related to Harry Belafonte by blood or by marriage. In fact, his birth name is not even Belafonte. According to Mel B, his ex-wife, Stephen’s real name is Stephen Stansbury. She revealed that he only chose the name Belafonte in order to attract attention in Hollywood.
She said that he lied to her about being related to Harry Belafonte when they first met and that she only found out the truth later on. She also claimed that he abused her physically and emotionally during their marriage, which lasted from 2007 to 2017.
Stephen Belafonte has denied these allegations and said that he changed his name legally when he was younger because he did not have a good relationship with his father. He said that he admired Harry Belafonte as an artist and as a person and that he never pretended to be his son or nephew.
Conclusion
Stephen Belafonte and Harry Belafonte are not related to each other, despite sharing the same surname. Stephen Belafonte is a Hollywood producer who changed his name from Stansbury to Belafonte for personal and professional reasons. Harry Belafonte is a music and civil rights icon who was born with the surname Bellanfanti and later shortened it to Belafonte. They have no familial connection or association with each other.
