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Sidney Poitier – A Life in Class
September 7th 2008 05:22
Sidney Poitier
A Poitier Portrait
“A good deed here, a good deed there, a good thought here, a good comment there, all added up to my career in one way or another.” – Sidney Poitier
Stoic, shattering intrinsic social barriers with powerful performances that defied racial stereotype Actor, Writer, Director Sidney Poitier separated himself from those that came before him. Determined to bring a strength of will and authentic character to his roles in order to become a high profile voice for civil rights.
“I was the only Black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people.” – Sidney Poitier
The Power Profile
Born in Miami in 1927 and spending much of his youth in the Bahama’s where he acquired a taste for Voodoo and juvenile delinquency. Moving back to the U.S at 17 he lived in New York and after some run ins with the Law decided to join the Army.
Beginning his acting career with a thick accent Poitier first gained notice on Broadway and made his cinema debut as an extra in the 1947 film Sepia Cinderella. His next big screen role as a doctor who must treat a bigoted patient in Daryl F Zanuck’s No Way Out garnered praise and officially started his career.
For many 1955’s The Blackboard Jungle is considered Sidney’s “breakout” performance, at 27 he was finally in the public eye for playing a teenager. Three years later he became the first black man ever nominated for a competitive Academy Award for his chain gang part in the Defiant Ones opposite matinee idol Tony Curtis. In 1963 Sidney Poitier won an Oscar for Lillies in the Field.
Sidney takes home the Honoree Oscar
A Raisin in The Sun, A Patch of Blue and The Slender Thread amongst the best of his films during this period. It was 1967 that will forever be seen as his most successful year as an actor with a trifecta of box office and critical hits. In The Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and To Sir With Love all now considered classics.
Continuing to do interesting work throughout the 1970’s on screen, off camera his passion remained championing the civil rights movement. Dedicated to change and eager to put his name behind the causes he saw as just, over the years Poitier had become an outspoken figurehead for social justice.
The Activist
Fluent in Russian, today he is a legendary thespian and respected diplomat for the Bahamas, a one of a kind artist who has always tried to use his position for positive effect. A life that has led by example, the world of films would be far less rich without his presence.
“In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man.” – Sidney Poitier
The opening ten minutes of Sidney Poitier's Best Actor Oscar winning Lillies in the Field
Sidney Poitier A Brief history
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