Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier Biography

Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE ( or ; born February 20, 1927), is an American-born Bahamian 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 successful 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 all three films, issues revolve around the race of the characters Poitier portrays. 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, Let's Do It Again (with friend Bill Cosby) and Stir Crazy (starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder). In 2002, thirty-eight 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.

Early life

Born in Miami while his parents were visiting, Sidney Poitier grew up on Cat Island in The Bahamas, and later moved to Miami, where his Bahamian parents, Evelyn (née Outten) and Reginald James Poitier, traveled to sell tomatoes and other produce from their farm on Cat Island. His birth was two months premature and he was not expected to survive, but his parents remained three months in Miami to nurse him to health. Because of his birth in the U.S., he automatically gained U.S. citizenship. Poitier was raised in a Roman Catholic family. Although, later on, he became an agnostic with views closer to deism. He grew up with his family on Cat Island, Bahamas, then a British colony. At age 10, he moved to Nassau with his family. At the age of 15 he was sent to Miami to live with his brother. At the age of 17, he moved to New York City and held a string of jobs as a dishwasher. A Jewish waiter sat with him every night for several weeks helping him learn to read the newspaper. He then decided to join the United States Army after which he worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a spot with the American Negro Theater.

Hollywood

Acting career

Poitier joined the American Negro Theater, but was rejected by audiences. Contrary to what was expected of black actors at the time, Poitier's tone deafness made him unable to sing. Determined to refine his acting skills and rid himself of his noticeable Bahamian accent, he spent the next six months dedicating himself to achieving theatrical success. On his second attempt at the theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the Broadway production Lysistrata, for which he received good reviews. By the end of 1949, he had to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in the film No Way Out (1950). His performance in No Way Out, as a doctor treating a white bigot (played by Richard Widmark), was noticed and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and more prominent than those most black actors of the time were offered. Poitier's breakout role was as a member of an incorrigible high school class in Blackboard Jungle (1955).

Poitier was the first male black actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award (for The Defiant Ones, 1958). He was also the first black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor (for Lilies of the Field in 1963). (James Baskett was the first to receive an Oscar, an Honorary Academy Award for his performance as Uncle Remus in the Walt Disney production of Song of the South in 1948, while Hattie McDaniel predated them both, winning as Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1939's Gone with the Wind). His satisfaction at this honor was undermined by his concerns that this award was more of the industry congratulating itself for having him as a token and it would inhibit him from asking for more substantive considerations afterward. Poitier worked relatively little over the following year; he remained the only major black actor and the roles offered were predominately typecast as a soft-spoken appeaser.

He acted in the first production of A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway in 1959, and later starred in the film version released in 1961. He also gave memorable performances in The Bedford Incident (1965), and A Patch of Blue (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters. In 1967, he was the most successful draw at the box office, the commercial peak of his career, with three popular films, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; To Sir, with Love and In the Heat of the Night. The last film featured his most successful character, Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, detective whose subsequent career was the subject of two sequels: They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970) and The Organization (1971).

Poitier began to be criticized for being typecast as over-idealized black characters who were not permitted to have any sexuality or personality faults, such as his character in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Poitier was aware of this pattern himself, but was conflicted on the matter: he wanted more varied roles, but also felt obliged to set a good example with his characters to defy previous stereotypes, as he was the only major black actor in the American film industry at the time. For instance, in 1966 he turned down an opportunity to play the lead in an NBC production of Othello with that spirit in mind. In 2001, Poitier received an Honorary Academy Award for his overall contribution to American cinema. With the death of Ernest Borgnine in 2012, Poitier became the oldest living man to have won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Directorial career

Poitier directed several films, the most successful being the Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder comedy Stir Crazy which for years was the highest grossing film directed by a person of African descent. His feature film directorial debut was the western Buck and the Preacher in which Poitier also starred, alongside Harry Belafonte. Poitier replaced original director Joseph Sargent. The trio of Poitier, Cosby, and Belafonte reunited again (with Poitier again directing) in Uptown Saturday Night. Poitier also directed Cosby in Let's Do It Again, A Piece of the Action, and Ghost Dad. Poitier also directed the first popular dance battle movie Fast Forward in 1985.

From 1998 to 2003 he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company.

Recording career

Poitier recorded an album with the composer Fred Katz called "Poitier Meets Plato" in which Poitier recites passages from Plato's writings.

Diplomatic career

In April 1997, Poitier was appointed Ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan, a position he currently holds. He is also the Ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO.

Personal life

Poitier was first married to Juanita Hardy from April 29, 1950, until 1965. He has been married to Joanna Shimkus, a Canadian-born former actress of Lithuanian and Irish descent, since January 23, 1976. He has four daughters with his first wife and two with his second: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Gina, Anika, and Sydney Tamiia.

Honors and awards

1958 British Academy Film Award for Best Foreign Actor for The Defiant Ones
1958 Silver Bear for Best Actor (Berlin Film Festival) for The Defiant Ones
1963 Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lilies of the Field
1963 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for Lilies of the Field
1963 Silver Bear for Best Actor (Berlin Film Festival) for Lilies of the Field
1974 Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)
1982 Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award
1992 AFI Life Achievement Award
1995 Kennedy Center Honors
1997 Appointed non-resident Bahamian Ambassador to Japan
1999 SAG Life Achievement Award
2000 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
2001 NAACP Image Award - Hall of Fame Award
2001 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album " Rick Harris, John Runnette (producers) and Sidney Poitier for The Measure of a Man
2002 Honorary Oscar " "For his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence"
2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom
2011 Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala Tribute honoring his life and careers

Filmography

Actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1947	Sepia Cinderella	Extra	Uncredited
1949	From Whence Cometh My Help	Himself	Documentary
1950	No Way Out	Dr. Luther Brooks
1951	Cry, the Beloved Country	Reverend Msimangu
1952	Red Ball Express	Cpl. Andrew Robertson
1954	Go, Man, Go!	Inman Jackson
1955	Blackboard Jungle	Gregory W. Miller
1956	Good-bye, My Lady	Gates Watson
1957	Edge of the City	Tommy Tyler	Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1957	Something of Value	Kimani Wa Karanja
1957	Band of Angels	Rau-Ru Ponce de Leon
1957	'	Obam
1958	Virgin Island	Marcus
1958	'	Noah Cullen	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Silver Bear for Best Actor Nominated "? Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1959	Porgy and Bess	Porgy	Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1960	All the Young Men	Sgt. Eddie Towler
1961	'	Walter Lee Younger	Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1961	Paris Blues	Eddie Cook
1962	Pressure Point	Doctor (Chief Psychiatrist)
1963	'	Aly Mansuh
1963	Lilies of the Field	Homer Smith	Academy Award for Best Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Silver Bear for Best Actor
1965	'	Ben Munceford
1965	'	Simon of Cyrene
1965	'	Gordon Ralfe	Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1965	'	Alan Newell
1966	Duel at Diablo	Toller (contract horse dealer)
1967	To Sir, with Love	Mark Thackeray
1967	In the Heat of the Night	Det. Virgil Tibbs	Nominated "? BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1967	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	Dr. John Wade Prentice
1968	For Love of Ivy	Jack Parks
1969	'	Jason Higgs
1970	King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis	Narrator	documentary
1970	They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!	Virgil Tibbs
1971	Brother John	John Kane
1971	'	Detective Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs SFPD Homicide
1972	Buck and the Preacher	Buck
1974	'	Matt Younger
1974	Uptown Saturday Night	Steve Jackson
1975	'	Shack Twala
1975	Let's Do it Again	Clyde Williams
1977	'	Manny Durrell
1979	Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist	Narrator	short subject
1988	Shoot to Kill	Warren Stantin
1988	Little Nikita	Roy Parmenter
1992	Sneakers	Donald Crease
1994	'	Himself	documentary
1996	Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick	Himself	documentary
1996	To Sir, with Love II	Mark Thackeray
1997	'	FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston
2001	Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey	Narrator	documentary
2004	Tell Them Who You Are	Himself	documentary
2008	Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project	Himself	documentary

Director

Year	Title
1972	Buck and the Preacher
1973	'
1974	Uptown Saturday Night
1975	Let's Do it Again
1977	'
1980	Stir Crazy
1982	Hanky Panky
1985	Fast Forward
1990	Ghost Dad

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Separate But Equal	Thurgood Marshall	Nominated "? Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor " Miniseries or a Movie Nominated "? Golden Globe Award for Best Actor " Miniseries or Television Film
1995	Children of the Dust	Gypsy Smith
1996	To Sir, with Love II	Mark Thackeray
1997	Mandela and de Klerk	Nelson Mandela	Nominated "? Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor " Miniseries or a Movie
1998	David and Lisa	Dr. Jack Miller
1999	'	Noah Dearborn
1999	Free of Eden	Will Cleamons
2001	'	Henry Cobb

Works about Poitier

Autobiographies

Poitier has written three autobiographical books:

This Life (1980)
The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2000)
Life Beyond Measure " letters to my Great-Granddaughter (2008, an Oprah's Book Club selection).

Poitier is also the subject of the biography Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon (2004) by historian Aram Goudsouzian.

Poitier wrote the novel Montaro Caine, released in May 2013.

Movies about Poitier

Sidney Poitier, an Outsider in Hollywood (Sidney Poitier, an outsider à Hollywood). Documentary film by Catherine Arnaud. Arte, France, 2008, 70 minutes.
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light. American Masters, PBS. USA, 2000. 60 minutes.