一天晚上,一个客户给他一票美国黑人戏剧生产和连接。他和演员保罗·罗伯逊成了朋友,Ruby迪,澳大利亚戴维斯和西德尼口感,后来获得了托尼奖因“约翰·莫里·安德森的年鉴”。Belafonte made his film debut in the 1953 film "Bright Road" and followed up with "Carmen Jones" in 1954. His last movie was Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman”在2018年。
在他的职业生涯中,贝拉获得11个格莱美奖提名,赢得了两项格莱美奖,在1960年他的表现之一“Swing Dat锤,”第二个1964年最佳民间记录,“晚上贝拉和马卡贝。”He also received the Recording Academy President's Merit Award in 1965 and later received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1986.