With a quiet elegance and a distinct voice, Sidney Poitier lit up the screen for half a century. His classic films are must-haves for any classic film collection. Poitier was highly respected in the industry as an actor and a director and received several awards for his work. Despite his accomplishments, he had an inauspicious start in life and was born two and half months premature in Miami, Florida on February, 20th 1927 while his parents were on vacation. His parents, Evelyn and Reginald James owned a tomato farm on Cat Island, Bahamas.
As a young child, he frequently found himself getting into trouble and was sent to live with his brother in Miami when he was 15. The following year he left for New York City. It was there that Poitier first made a name for himself as an actor. After working as a janitor at an off-Broadway theater in exchange for acting lessons, Poitier eventually found a role as an understudy for Harry Belafonte. From there, he made his way to Broadway and appeared in a 1946 production of Lysistrata. Only four years later, he landed his first credited film role as Dr. Luther Brooks in the 1950s No Way Out.
He appeared in several other 1950s films including the iconic Blackboard Jungle, based on Evan Hunter's novel. The film was set in an inner-city school in New York City. In the film, Poitier portrayed a musically talented but rebellious student. It was a career breakthrough for Poitier, and he went on to win a BAFTA for his role as Noah Cullen in The Defiant Ones.
By the 1960s, Poitier had cemented his place in Hollywood. After performing in the 1959 Broadway play Raisin in the Sun, he starred in the 1961 film version, now considered an award-winning classic. Only three years later in 1964, Poitier went on to be the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies in the Field. In 1967, he hit his commercial peak by starring in three classic films: To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
The following decade, Poitier made his directorial debut with 1972’s Buck and the Preacher, which he also starred in alongside his old theater mate, Harry Belafonte. He went on to direct several hit comedies including the wildly successful Stir Crazy released in 1980, which had an overall box office total of $101,000,000. The movie featured comedy legends Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and was the first highest-grossing film with a black director. Poitier spent most of the 1980s in the director’s chair and only starred in two other films, Little Nikita and Shoot to Kill, both released in 1988.
His theatrical career slowed down in the 1990s and he appeared in mostly TV movies including a sequel of To Sir, with Love in 1996. His last two film appearances were 1992’s Sneakers and 1997’s Jackal, which also starred Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. He received Emmy nominations for his work in 1991’s Separate but Equal and 1997’s Mandela and de Klerk. In 1995 he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors for his contributions to the performing arts.
His last appearance as an actor was the 2001 TV movie The Last Brickmaker in America. The year before, Poitier was honored with the Golden Globe’s Lifetime Achievement Award and won the Honorary Academy Award for his body of work in cinema. President Barack Obama awarded him the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can attain.
Despite all of his accomplishments, he remained the same graceful, gracious man. Sidney Poitier forever changed what a movie star could be and his legacy will never be forgotten. February 20, 2022, would have been his 95th birthday; even though he is no longer with us, we continue to celebrate his life and film contributions. Happy Birthday, Mr. Poitier, and thank you for everything you have given us.