Sidney Poitier

About

Sidney Poitier KBE (February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he became the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Lilies of the Field. Other accolades include two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Major films featuring Poitier in a starring role include Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Defiant Ones (1958), To Sir, with Love (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Sneakers (1992), and The Jackal (1997). Later in his career, he turned to directing with features such as Buck and the Preacher (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Stir Crazy (1980), and Ghost Dad (1990). At the time of his death, Poitier was one of the last major...

Known for

The Philco Television PlayhouseSeries • 1948OmnibusSeries • 1967The JackalMovie • 1997SneakersMovie • 1992In the Heat of the NightMovie • 1967Paris BluesMovie • 1961To Sir, with LoveMovie • 1967The Greatest Story Ever ToldMovie • 1965A Patch of BlueMovie • 1965Guess Who's Coming to DinnerMovie • 1967Stir CrazyMovie • 1980Shoot to KillMovie • 1988Hanky PankyMovie • 1982The Wilby ConspiracyMovie • 1975The Defiant OnesMovie • 1958They Call Me Mister Tibbs!Movie • 1970The OrganizationMovie • 1971Lilies of the FieldMovie • 1963A Raisin in the SunMovie • 1961The Bedford IncidentMovie • 1965Duel at DiabloMovie • 1966A Piece of the ActionMovie • 1977The Long ShipsMovie • 1964Blackboard JungleMovie • 1955