In 1939 Harry came back home to live with his mother. Just five years later he dropped out of George Washington High School to enlist in the U.S. Navy. His dropping out of school might have been because of his dyslexia, making learning in school difficult. In the Navy, Harry worked to control manual labor. When he returned home from World War II Harry had many odd jobs to make money. 5
After watching a performance at the American Negro Theater, Harry Belafonte discovered his interest in acting. Harry went to study at a dramatic workshop which was run by Erwin Piscator. For one of his class projects he was required to sing in front of the class. Harry impressed a women by the name of Monte Kay, and was asked to join her Jazz group called the Royal Roost.
As Harry Belafonte grew, so did his career. He was in the musical "The Bright Road" and even won a Tony award for his performance in "The John Murray Anderson Almanac". Harry had become a musical sensation. "The Banana Boat Song" was one of his most popular, and told the story of his family in Jamaica.
He became the first artist to sell more than one million copies of a single album. With his success, Belafonte continued to help the African Americans to freedom. 9
