Biography
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Born
22 September 1954 (age 69)
Shari Belafonte began her career as a model, becoming a successful cover girl model and appearing in commercials for Calvin Klein jeans. She made her feature film debut in 1982 in the movies Time Walker and If You Could See What I Hear. She then worked as a production assistant and assistant director in public television on the East Coast before moving to Los Angeles, where she became an assistant to the publicist at Hanna-Barbera productions. While getting her hands wet "behind the scenes", she has also received a number of modeling and commercial assignments, and has appeared on the cover of over 300 magazines.
Early in her career, Belafonte landed a role opposite The Beastmaster's Marc Singer in the feature film If You Could See What I Hear. Other feature films include The Time Walker, Speed Zone, The Midnight Hour and Fire, Ice and Dynamite. Well-known producer Aaron Spelling chose her as a finalist for Julie Rogers on Charlie's Angels, a role written with her specifically in mind, but the part went to Tanya Roberts. In 1983, he cast her in another pilot for the action-adventure series, Velvet, opposite Leah Ayres, Mary Margaret Humes and Sheree J. Wilson. Velvet did not get picked up for syndication and later aired as a TV movie. That same year, Spelling cast her as Julie Gilette in the ABC television series Hotel, in which she starred during the show's five-year run (1983–1988). It was during this time that Shari began her music career on Metronome Records, releasing two albums in Europe: "The Eyes of Night" (1987) and "Shari" (1989).
Belafonte made her theatrical debut in Tamara, playing the title role in the long-running Los Angeles production. Shortly thereafter, she starred as Dr. Laura Wingate in the USA Network's dramatic series Beyond Reality, which ran for two years. In addition, Shari also co-hosted the syndicated series Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte, an updated version of Leach's signature show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. As of 2006 Shari can be seen hosting a travel program called "Travels In Mexico And The Caribbean With Shari Belafonte" on NYCTV.
Belafonte's multi-faceted career also includes moderating and voiceovers. She has producing credits for theater, public and network television, and feature films. In addition to her affiliation with numerous children's, animal, and environment causes, she has also become the international spokesman for the Starlight Children's Foundation. Named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top ten celebrity endorsers, Shari has been the spokesman for numerous corporations including Bally's International Health and Fitness, Slim-Fast, Diet System 6, and most recently, Estroven.
Belafonte also provided the voice of Lupé the leader of the Wolf Pack in Sonic the Hedgehog, Gerald's mother Mrs Johanssen in four episodes of Hey Arnold!, Diana Cruz in an episode of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and the undead Southern belle zombie Blanche in Gravedale High.
Belafonte posed nude for Playboy in the magazine's September, 2000 edition. She is an avid photographer.
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