Fans of “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” have gotten familiar with Lisa, better known as Karen’s mom. Shari Belafonte plays Lisa, and if that last name sounds familiar, it’s because Shari Belafonte is the daughter of the late great Harry Belafonte. Harry Belafonte, who passed away in April ’23, is an American icon known for his trailblazing career in entertainment and activism that spanned decades. 

Shari Belafonte has followed in her father’s footsteps. She started her career as a model before making her big-screen debut in 1982. In an interview with People Magazine, Shari Belafonte mentioned that her dad lived life to the fullest and died laughing, but his legacy will continue through his children.  

“Harry lived a very fulfilled life with helping everybody else, and there were no regrets,” she explained to PEOPLE. “We knew that he had completed his journey on this planet, and each one of his children had something to bring, hopefully, as part of his legacy in different areas. Mine is making people aware of health education.” 

Shari Belafonte is living up to that promise. She’s an accomplished model, photographer, singer, healthcare advocate, producer, director, actress, and more, so she is on the right track. Here are five highlights from the multihyphenate’s lengthy career. 

The Model 

She started modeling in the early 80s, appearing in Calvin Klein jeans commercials and on the covers of several magazines, such as Vanity Fair, Vogue, Jet, TV Guide, and more. In 2020, she announced that she would be executive producing a docu-series titled “Black Cat Walking,” which would explore racism in the modeling industry. The series hasn’t been updated yet, but sometimes these things take time. 

The Actress 

She made her feature film debut in 1982, appearing in two movies, “If You Could See What I Hear” and “Timewalker.” Belafonte has since been in several movies and TV shows. She was also almost cast as one of “Charlie’s Angels” in the original series. Ultimately, she didn’t get the role, but she has had a fruitful career on screen and in voice-over work. Some of her voice-over credits include “Gravedale High” and “Sonic the Hedgehog.” She has also appeared on iconic TV shows such as “General Hospital,” “The Morning Show,” “Nip/Tuck,” and more. 

The Singer

Like her father, Shari enjoys music and has a lot of it under her belt. She began her music career in the late 80s, signing a contract with Metronome Records, where she released two studio albums, “The Eyes of the Night” and “Shari.”  

Healthcare Advocate

She has spoken out, on occasion, about the obesity epidemic in the United States, and it comes from personal experience. At one point, she struggled with high cholesterol and thought about how obesity and diabetes tend to run in her family, she began taking action so that she could lose weight. In 2014, she partnered with pharmaceutical company Vivus to encourage adults to speak with their doctors about medical weight loss management. 

Philanthropist/Activist

She is affiliated with the Starlight Children’s Foundation and other causes related to the environment and animal welfare.