DURING his formative years in Somerton, St James, reggae singer Jimmy Cliff said he always had a knack for singing and acting.

“What I wanted to do, as a little boy going to school, was to sing and act. At my school, when it was breaking-up time for summer holidays and Christmas holidays, they used to have a play. I was always chosen to be in those plays and it was my delight,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Cliff, 77, drew on both talents in the cult classic The Harder They Come, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Directed and co-written by Perry Henzell and Trevor Rhone, the singer played Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin, who came to Kingston from the country to make it big in the music industry.

The cast also comprised Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Heartman, and Toots and the Maytals.

He remembers some of the challenges experienced during filming.

“When we were doing The Harder They Come we ran out of money. I was residing in England and I had to go back to there. When they got money, they said: ‘Come back now. We raised some more money.’ The break would sometimes be six weeks to two months,” he said.

Listed as Jamaica’s most influential film, The Harder They Come — through its soundtrack — helped to introduce reggae to the world. It includes Cliff’s enduring songs You Can Get It (If You Really Want) and Wonderful World, Beautiful People.

The Harder They Come had its premiere June 5, 1972 at Carib Theatre in Cross Roads, St Andrew. It was an occasion the film’s lead actor will never forget.

“The day when The Harder They Come opened, I couldn’t get near to the theatre. I was up at Regal Theatre (now occupied by Azan’s Supercentre — 500 metres away) and all I could see was a sea of people. I couldn’t get any further. It was amazing. And the next day, I heard dem find shoes and shirt outside of Carib as people broke down the railing to go and see the movie. From the night it opened, it was full every night. I saw it two weeks after the premiere at the Carib,” said Cliff.

Following his 1972 debut in The Harder They Come, Cliff appeared in the action film Marked for Death (1990), which starred Steven Seagal, and the comedy Club Paradise (1986), which starred Robin Williams.

“ John Crow, the song I did in Marked for Death, Steven Seagal and I wrote it,” he said.

“A lot of singers dream of becoming actors and a lot of actors dream of becoming singers. Steven Seagal is one of the actors who dreamt of becoming a singer. But very few are able to do both. I have been able to do both,” he continued.

“As a matter of fact, I feel like I’m a better actor than singer. Or maybe, they’re on par,” he said.

Jimmy Cliff, whose given name is James Chambers, began making music in the early 1960s. He has won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album and was awarded the Order of Merit in 2003 by the Jamaican Government.