Belafonte, O’Hara to receive honorary Oscar

Actor-singer-activist Harry Belafonte will receive an honorary Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.

Belafonte, 87, will receive the the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which is given “to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

The academy cited Belafonte’s career, which shed “needed light on racism and inequality” in his film roles. He was an early supporter of the Civil Rights movement, marching and organizing alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and often funding initiatives with his entertainment income.

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