Image of Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier

Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (born February 20, 1927) is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat. In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of this achievement was later bolstered in 1967 when he starred in three well-received films—To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner—making him the top box office star of that year. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 22nd on the list of 25. Poitier has directed a number of popular movies such as A Piece of the Action; Uptown Saturday Night, and Let's Do It Again (with friend Bill Cosby), and Stir Crazy (starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder). In 2002, 38 years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Award, designated "To Sidney Poitier in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being." Since 1997 he has been the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. On August 12, 2009, Sidney Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.  


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Born:
Feb 20, 1927 In Miami, Florida, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
74
First Appeared:
In the series The Philco Television Playhouse 1948-10-03
Latest Project:
Movie Sidney 2022-09-10
Known For
Poster of To Sir, With Love II
Poster of Good-bye, My Lady
Poster of The Red Ball Express
Poster of Cry, the Beloved Country
Filmography
Movie Sidney Self 2022-09-10
Movie Mr. SOUL! Self (archival footage) 2018-04-27
Movie The Madding Crowd Self (archive footage) 2017-02-01
Movie I Am Not Your Negro Various Roles (archive footage) 2017-02-03
Movie Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart Self 2017-10-14
Movie And the Oscar Goes To... Self (archive footage) 2014-02-01
Movie Martin Luther King and the March on Washington Self 2013-01-01
Movie Moms Mabley Self 2013-04-20
Movie Sing Your Song Self 2012-01-13
Movie Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project Self 2007-10-13
Movie Hollywood Legenden Self 2004-01-01
Movie The Last Brickmaker in America Henry Cobb 2001-09-23
Movie Quincy Jones: In the Pocket Self 2001-11-18
Movie Free of Eden Will Cleamons 1999-02-21
Movie The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn Noah Dearborn 1999-05-09
Movie David and Lisa Dr. Jack Miller 1998-11-01
Movie Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist Reverend Msimangu (archive footage) 1998-01-01
Movie Afro Promo Self (archive footage) 1997-01-31
Movie Mandela and de Klerk Nelson Mandela 1997-02-16
Movie The Jackal Carter Preston 1997-11-14
Movie To Sir, With Love II Mark Thackeray 1996-04-07
Series Children of the Dust Gypsy Smith 1995-02-26
Movie Sneakers Crease 1992-09-09
Movie Separate But Equal Thurgood Marshall 1991-04-07
Movie Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night Self - Audience Member 1988-01-03
Movie Little Nikita Roy Parmenter 1988-03-17
Movie Shoot to Kill Warren Stantin 1988-02-12
Movie The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn Self 1986-03-09
Movie Night of 100 Stars II Self 1985-03-10
Series The Kennedy Center Honors Unknown 1978-12-28
Movie A Piece of the Action Manny Durrell 1977-10-07
Movie The Wilby Conspiracy Shack Twala 1975-02-01
Movie Let's Do It Again Clyde Williams 1975-10-11
Movie Uptown Saturday Night Steve Jackson 1974-07-26
Series The American Film Institute Salute to ... Unknown 1973-04-02
Movie A Warm December Dr. Matt Younger 1973-05-23
Movie Buck and the Preacher Buck 1972-03-17
Movie Nationtime Self - Narrator 1972-11-01
Movie Brother John John Kane 1971-08-15
Movie The Organization Virgil Tibbs 1971-10-20
Movie King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis Self (archive footage) 1970-03-24
Movie They Call Me Mister Tibbs! Virgil Tibbs 1970-07-10
Movie The Lost Man Jason Higgs 1969-07-11
Movie For Love of Ivy Jack Parks 1968-07-17
Movie Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed 1968-08-31
Movie To Sir, with Love Mark Thackeray 1967-06-14
Movie In the Heat of the Night Virgil Tibbs 1967-08-02
Movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner John Prentice 1967-12-11
Movie The Strolling '20s Self 1966-02-04
Movie Duel at Diablo Toller 1966-06-15
Movie The Greatest Story Ever Told Simon of Cyrene 1965-04-09
Movie The Bedford Incident Ben Munceford 1965-10-11
Movie The Slender Thread Alan Newell 1965-12-15
Movie A Patch of Blue Gordon Ralfe 1965-12-10
Movie The Long Ships Aly Mansuh 1964-04-22
Movie Lilies of the Field Homer Smith 1963-06-04
Movie Pressure Point Doctor 1962-10-10
Movie A Raisin in the Sun Walter Lee Younger 1961-05-28
Movie Paris Blues Eddie Cook 1961-09-27
Movie All the Young Men Sgt. Eddie Towler 1960-08-26
Movie Porgy and Bess Porgy 1959-06-24
Movie Virgin Island Marcus 1959-08-07
Movie The Defiant Ones Noah Cullen 1958-08-14
Movie Something of Value Kimani Wa Karanja 1957-05-08
Movie Edge of the City Tommy Tyler 1957-01-04
Movie Band of Angels Rau-Ru 1957-08-03
Movie The Mark of the Hawk Obam 1957-12-01
Movie Good-bye, My Lady Gates Watson 1956-05-12
Movie Blackboard Jungle Gregory W. Miller 1955-03-25
Series The Oscars Sidney Poitier 1953-03-19
Movie The Red Ball Express Robertson 1952-05-29
Movie Cry, the Beloved Country Reverend Msimangu 1951-11-16
Movie No Way Out Dr. Luther Brooks 1950-08-16
Series The Philco Television Playhouse Unknown 1948-10-03