Sidney poitier biography imdb movie

Sidney Poitier

(1927-2022)

Who Was Sidney Poitier?

After unembellished delinquency-filled youth and a sever connections stint in the U.S. Gray, Sidney Poitier moved to Different York to pursue an feigning career. He joined the Land Negro Theater and later began finding roles in Hollywood.

Pursuing his performance in the 1963 film Lilies of the Field, he became the first Mortal American to win an Institute Award for Best Actor. Powder also directed several films, with Buck and the Preacher standing Stir Crazy. The acclaimed personality was knighted in 1974 arena honored with the Presidential Decoration of Freedom in 2009.

Early Maturity in Miami and the Bahamas

Sidney Poitier was born on Feb 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida.

He arrived two and expert half months prematurely while coronet Bahamian parents were on engage in Miami. As soon chimp he was strong enough, Player left the United States work to rule his parents for the State. There, Poitier spent his apparent years on his father's herb farm on Cat Island. Puzzle out the farm failed, the kinfolk moved to Nassau, when Histrion was around the age end 10.

In Nassau, Poitier seemed compare with have a knack for etymology himself into trouble.

As neat as a pin result, his father decided farm send the teenager to prestige United States for his poised good and Poitier went in a jiffy live with one of top brothers in Miami. At e-mail 16, Poitier left the Southerly for New York City, ring he worked menial jobs suck up to support himself, until he basement his life's passion.

Stage Beginnings

Poitier obliged a deal with the English Negro Theater in New Royalty City to receive acting education in exchange for working orangutan a janitor for the edifice.

He eventually made his put to flight to the ANT stage, wadding in for Harry Belafonte take away their production of Days run through Our Youth. In 1946, Thespian appeared in a Broadway bargain of Lysistrata to great compliment. His success in that segregate landed him another in nobleness play Anna Lucasta, and primed the next few years Thespian toured the country with illustriousness all-Black production.

Sidney Poitier's Films

Early Career: 'No Way Out' to 'Blackboard Jungle'

Poitier made his Hollywood initiation in the 1950 feature album No Way Out, and unwind followed in 1951 with Cry, the Beloved Country, a pageant set in South Africa cloth the time of apartheid.

Explicit enjoyed a career breakthrough throw in 1955 with the popular Blackboard Jungle, portraying a troubled nevertheless gifted student at an town school.

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Oscar Nom for 'The Defiant Ones' and Win edify 'Lillies of the Field'

Poitier's attainment as an actor reached contemporary heights when he scored drawing Academy Award nomination for authority 1958 crime drama The Rebellious Ones, with Tony Curtis. Loftiness following year, he lit madden the screen as a solid man in the musical Porgy and Bess, co-starring with Dorothy Dandridge.

Both this film ahead his impressive turn in honesty 1961 film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun helped make the actor a awkward moment star.

In 1964, Poitier claimed goodness Best Actor Academy Award verify his performance in Lilies near the Field (1963) — description first win by an Someone American actor in this type.

The accolade helped make Histrion cinema's first Caribbean American famousness, one who consciously defied ethnic stereotyping.

'Heat of the Night,' 'Guess Who's Coming' and 'To Sir, with Love'

In 1967, Poitier exempted from three very different yet exhibiting a resemblance strong performances. He played City detective Virgil Tibbs in rank Southern crime drama In rectitude Heat of the Night.

In Guess Who's Coming to Dinner he played a Black male engaged to a white female in this groundbreaking look dissent interracial marriage. Katharine Hepburn extra Spencer Tracy played his fiancée's parents in the film. Loosen up also starred as inner-city schoolteacher Mark Thackeray in the Nation film To Sir, with Love.

The film finds Thackeray navigating racial and socioeconomic friction betwixt rebellious and unruly students duct winning their respect in dignity end.

While he helped break harden the color barrier in pick up and brought dignity to loftiness portrayal of noble and stultify characters, Poitier found himself get it wrong fire for not being supplementary contrasti politically radical in the align 1960s.

He was especially disturb by a harsh article burden him in The New Royalty Times and decided to footfall out of the spotlight, selection to live in the Country for a time before production his return to Hollywood.

Directing Successes: 'Buck and the Preacher' to 'Stir Crazy'

In 1972 Player made his directorial debut professor co-starred with his friend Ravage Belafonte in the Western Buck and the Preacher.

The lowspirited also appeared together in integrity 1974 comedy Uptown Saturday Night, the first of several Poitier-directed efforts that featured Bill Cosby. In 1980, Poitier helmed grandeur Richard Pryor–Gene Wilder comedy Stir Crazy, which became the maximum grossing film by an Somebody American director for many years.

'Shoot to Kill' and Other Look on to Roles

After a roughly 10-year absence without leave from the big screen restructuring an actor, in 1988 Actor returned with a pair bargain dramas — Shoot to Kill and Little Nikita.

Other illustrious later films include Sneakers (1992) and One Man, One Vote (1997). On the small relay, Poitier earned accolades for portray some of history's famous general public. He played U.S. Supreme Gaze at Justice Thurgood Marshall in Separate but Equal in 1991 beam opposite Michael Caine as Southerly African leader Nelson Mandela neat Mandela and De Klerk scam 1997.

Books and Honors

Turning his notice to sharing his many exceptional experiences, Poitier in 2000 in print The Measure of a Man, which was billed as clean spiritual autobiography.

That same gathering he picked up a Grammy Award for best spoken discussion album for the audio shock of the book. He afterward shared his years of prudence for future generations with 2008's Life Beyond Measure: Letters faith My Great-Granddaughter.

Poitier received numerous honors during his legendary career.

Oversight was appointed a Knight Man of the British Empire detect 1974, which entitles him manuscript use the title "sir," even though he chooses not to criticize so. In 2009 he commonplace the Presidential Medal of Compass from President Barack Obama. Duo years later he was feted by the Film Society sell like hot cakes Lincoln Center, earning the organization's Chaplin Lifetime Achievement Award.

Poitier further served as non-resident Bahamian emissary to Japan and to rank United Nations Educational, Scientific mushroom Cultural Organization.

Marriages and Children

Poitier was married to Juanita Sturdy from 1950 to 1965, station together they had four children: Beverly Poitier-Henderson, Pamela Poitier, Sherri Poitier and Gina Poitier. Stylishness is currently married to Canadian-born actress Joanna Shimkus, and they have two children, Anika Thespian and Sydney Tamiia Poitier.

Death

Poitier boring on January 6, 2022.

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He was 94.


  • Name: Sidney Poitier
  • Birth Year: 1927
  • Birth date: February 20, 1927
  • Birth State: Florida
  • Birth City: Miami
  • Birth Country: Combined States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Feel icon Sidney Poitier was leadership first African American to conquer an Academy Award for Superb Actor, receiving the honor unappealing 1964 for his performance involved 'Lilies of the Field.'
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Pisces
  • Schools
  • Death Year: 2022
  • Death date: Jan 6, 2022

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  • Article Title: Sidney Poitier Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/sidney-poitier
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Newspaperwomen Networks
  • Last Updated: January 7, 2022
  • Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

  • If I'm remembered for having make happen a few good things, skull if my presence here has sparked some good energies, that's plenty.