Hollywood trailblazer Sidney Poitier was born Feb. 20, 1927, in Miami to Bahamian parents. After Army service, he joined the American Negro Theater, making a 1946 Broadway debut in "Lysistrata." In 1950, Poitier made his screen debut in No Way Out. Through such 1950s films as Blackboard Jungle and Edge of the City, Poitier built up a strong presence.He scored a breakthrough with 1958's The Defiant Ones, becoming the first black actor to be nominated for a leading-role Academy Award. Five years later, Poitier won the Best Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Field and was a dominant star of the '60s with memorable roles in To Sir, with Love, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night.
He added directing to his resume in the '70s with Uptown Saturday Night and Stir Crazy, among others. Since the '80s, his screen appearances (Sneakers, The Jackal) have been infrequent.
AddThe Simple Life of Noah DearbornSmall-town farmer Noah Dearborn (Sidney Poitier) lives an uncomplicated existence until shady developer Christian Nelson (George Newbern) tries to usurp his family's land. Nelson will do anything to take Noah's property, including hiring a shrink (Mary-Louise Parker) to have him declared insane. But... Read More
AddIn the Heat of the NightPhiladelphia detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) helps a redneck Southern sheriff (Rod Steiger) solve a murder in this fascinating study in racism that still strikes a resonant chord today. Steiger won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as the put-upon sheriff who comes to respect Tibbs's... Read More
AddA Raisin in the SunSidney Poitier and Ruby Dee shine in this film version of Lorraine Hansberry's play about an inner-city black family. Poitier plays Walter Lee Younger, a chauffeur with a wife (Dee) and family to support. When a financial windfall puts Younger's dream of starting his own business within reach, the... Read More
AddLilies of the FieldAimless ex-soldier Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) is on his way to California when his car overheats in the desert. He stops to get some water at an isolated farm and soon finds himself building a chapel for the nuns who live there. The stern mother superior (Lilia Skala) is certain God has sent Smith... Read More
AddA Patch of BlueWhen Gordon Ralfe (Sidney Poitier), a handsome, hard-working black man, befriends Selina (Elizabeth Hartman), a blind white girl, he introduces her to a whole new world. They soon fall in love, but given the current racial climate, Gordon withholds his feelings from Selina, knowing they could never... Read More
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