Biography
Sidney Poitier KBE (February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he became the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Lilies of the Field. Other accolades include two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Major films featuring Poitier in a starring role include Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Defiant Ones (1958), To Sir, with Love (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Sneakers (1992), and The Jackal (1997). Later in his career, he turned to directing with features such as Buck and the Preacher (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Stir Crazy (1980), and Ghost Dad (1990). At the time of his death, Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Movies & TV Shows
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The Jackal (1997) — Carter Preston
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In the Heat of the Night (1967) — Virgil Tibbs
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Sneakers (1992) — Crease
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) — John Prentice
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To Sir, with Love (1967) — Mark Thackeray
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The Defiant Ones (1958) — Noah Cullen
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Shoot to Kill (1988) — Warren Stantin
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Lilies of the Field (1963) — Homer Smith
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The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) — Simon of Cyrene
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Blackboard Jungle (1955) — Gregory W. Miller
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A Raisin in the Sun (1961) — Walter Lee Younger
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A Patch of Blue (1965) — Gordon Ralfe
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Duel at Diablo (1966) — Toller
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Little Nikita (1988) — Roy Parmenter
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No Way Out (1950) — Luther Brooks
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They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) — Virgil Tibbs
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The Bedford Incident (1965) — Ben Munceford
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) — Self
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The Oscars (1953) — Self
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Paris Blues (1961) — Eddie Cook
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Buck and the Preacher (1972) — Buck
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The Long Ships (1964) — Aly Mansuh
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To Sir, with Love II (1996) — Mark Thackeray
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Edge of the City (1957) — Tommy Tyler
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The Organization (1971) — Virgil Tibbs
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The Slender Thread (1965) — Alan Newell
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Band of Angels (1957) — Rau-Ru
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The Wilby Conspiracy (1975) — Shack Twala
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Sidney (2022) — Self
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Pressure Point (1962) — Doctor
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Uptown Saturday Night (1974) — Steve Jackson
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Porgy and Bess (1959) — Porgy
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Let's Do It Again (1975) — Clyde Williams
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Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007) — Self
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Something of Value (1957) — Kimani Wa Karanja
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The Dick Cavett Show (1968) — Self - Guest
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A Piece of the Action (1977) — Manny Durrell
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The Red Ball Express (1952) — Robertson
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The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn (1999) — Noah Dearborn
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Golden Globe Awards (1944) — Self - Nominee
Directed
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Stir Crazy (1980) — Director
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Ghost Dad (1990) — Director
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Hanky Panky (1982) — Director
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Buck and the Preacher (1972) — Director
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Uptown Saturday Night (1974) — Director
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Let's Do It Again (1975) — Director
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A Piece of the Action (1977) — Director
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A Warm December (1973) — Director
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Fast Forward (1985) — Director