 Highly-respected, Award-Winning Actor
Sidney
Poitier has appeared in over 40 films and won many
awards for his outstanding acting achievements. He
made his film debut in the 1950 movie, "No Way Out." In
1964 he made history by becoming the first
African-American to win the Best Actor Oscar for his
role in "Lilies of the Field."
Sidney Poitier is considered an extremely talented
actor who helped open the doors for many
African-American actors after him. Because of his
screen persona, he is considered a key force in
helping to change the stereotypes of African-Americans
on screen.
Early Years
Sidney Poitier was born in Miami,
Florida in 1927 but grew up on Cat Island in the
Bahamas. He was the youngest of seven children. When
he was 15 years old, his parents sent him to live with
his brother in the United States. After a succession
of menial jobs and even a stint in the U.S. Army, he
eventually started acting with the American Negro
Theatre.
American Negro Theatre
Sidney Poitier's journey
into acting was not a smooth one. When he first
auditioned for the American Negro Theatre, he was
thrown out, primarily because his strong West Indian
accent was hard to understand. Determined to succeed,
Sidney Poitier worked hard to speak more clearly. He
did. And he became an actor with the American Negro
Theatre, which also included Harry Belafonte, Ossie
Davis and Ruby Dee.
It was while he was performing in theatre that
Sidney Poitier was discovered. He appeared in his
first major film, No Way Out (1950) and then a
succession of other movies, including a standout role
in Blackboard Jungle (1955).
Sidney Poitier didn't completely give up his
theatre acting while he was developing a movie career.
He starred in the Broadway production of Lorraine
Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun." When the successful
play was turned into a movie, he and the rest of the
cast performed their same roles in the movie version.
 Academy Award
In 1958 Sidney Poitier starred with
Tony Curtis in the film, "The Defiant Ones." He was
nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award, but did not
win it. Then, five years later, he gave another
exceptional performance in the movie Lilies of the
Field. This time, Sidney Poitier won and he made film
history.
He also won the 1958 Golden Globe Award for Best
Actor in Lilies of the Field.
Director
The first movie that Sidney Poitier
directed was "Buck and the Preacher" (1972). He also
directed a series of movies that he starred in with
Bill Cosby. They were Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975) and A Piece of the Action (1977).
Author
Sidney Poitier has written two
autobiographies. The first one, This Life, was written
in 1980 and is no longer being printed. In this book, Sidney Poitier talks about his childhood in the Bahamas, how he got started into acting, his two marriages and the relationship that he had with Diahann Carroll. Since the book is no longer being printed, you can find copies through online used book dealers.
 This Life by Sidney Poitier
An autobiography that covers his life up
until 1980.
Click here to see a list of sellers of this book.
Twenty years later, Sidney Poitier wrote his second
autobiography, The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual
Autobiography. This book has received considerable
press attention because it was selected for the Oprah
Winfrey Book Club in January 2007. It was a New York
Times bestseller.
  The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
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Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Chinese Theatre In 1967, Sidney Poitier
was the first African-American to have his footprint,
handprint and autograph put into one of the famed
cement blocks at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at
7065 Wilshire Blvd.
Major Awards
Won, Best Actor in a Leading Role,
Academy Award (1964) Won, Best Motion Picture Actor,
Golden Globes (1964) Lifetime Achievement Award from
the American Film Institute (AFI) (1992) Screen Actors
Guild Life Achievement Award (2000) Honorary Award for
Lifetime Achievement, Academy Award (2002)
DVD Collection
The Sidney Poitier DVD Collection contains some of his most notable films. Included are:
For Love of Ivy (A Top 100 BlackClassicMovies.com film)
In the Heat of the Night (A Top 100 BlackClassicMovies.com film)
Lilies of the Field (A Top 100 BlackClassicMovies.com film)
The Organization
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
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