Sidney Poitier
Born
February 20, 1927 (age 94)
Died
January 6, 2022
Birthplace
Miami, Florida, USA

Sidney Poitier

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

The Last Brickmaker in America
The Last Brickmaker in America
2001 ★ 7.6
Henry Cobb
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
2000 ★ 6.0
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
1999 ★ 6.1
Noah Dearborn
Free of Eden
Free of Eden
1999 ★ 10.0
Will Cleamons
David and Lisa
David and Lisa
1998 ★ 5.8
Dr. Jack Miller
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
1998 ★ 7.7
Reverend Msimangu (archive footage)
The Jackal
The Jackal
1997 ★ 6.4
Carter Preston
Mandela and de Klerk
Mandela and de Klerk
1997 ★ 6.5
Nelson Mandela
To Sir, with Love II
To Sir, with Love II
1996 ★ 6.4
Mark Thackeray
Sneakers
Sneakers
1992 ★ 6.9
Crease
Separate But Equal
Separate But Equal
1991 ★ 6.5
Thurgood Marshall
Little Nikita
Little Nikita
1988 ★ 6.1
Roy Parmenter
Shoot to Kill
Shoot to Kill
1988 ★ 6.6
Warren Stantin
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist
1979 ★ 7.2
Narrator (voice)
A Piece of the Action
A Piece of the Action
1977 ★ 5.6
Manny Durrell
Let's Do It Again
Let's Do It Again
1975 ★ 6.9
Clyde Williams
The Wilby Conspiracy
The Wilby Conspiracy
1975 ★ 6.4
Shack Twala
Uptown Saturday Night
Uptown Saturday Night
1974 ★ 6.1
Steve Jackson
A Warm December
A Warm December
1973 ★ 6.4
Dr. Matt Younger
Buck and the Preacher
Buck and the Preacher
1972 ★ 6.3
Buck
The Organization
The Organization
1971 ★ 6.2
Virgil Tibbs
Brother John
Brother John
1971 ★ 6.2
John Kane
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
1970 ★ 5.8
Virgil Tibbs
The Lost Man
The Lost Man
1969 ★ 3.3
Jason Higgs
For Love of Ivy
For Love of Ivy
1968 ★ 5.8
Jack Parks
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
1967 ★ 7.6
John Prentice
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night
1967 ★ 7.7
Virgil Tibbs
To Sir, with Love
To Sir, with Love
1967 ★ 7.5
Mark Thackeray
Duel at Diablo
Duel at Diablo
1966 ★ 6.3
Toller
The Slender Thread
The Slender Thread
1965 ★ 7.1
Alan Newell
A Patch of Blue
A Patch of Blue
1965 ★ 7.6
Gordon Ralfe
The Bedford Incident
The Bedford Incident
1965 ★ 7.0
Ben Munceford
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965 ★ 6.4
Simon of Cyrene
The Long Ships
The Long Ships
1964 ★ 6.0
Aly Mansuh
Lilies of the Field
Lilies of the Field
1963 ★ 7.3
Homer Smith
Pressure Point
Pressure Point
1962 ★ 6.5
Doctor
Paris Blues
Paris Blues
1961 ★ 6.5
Eddie Cook
A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun
1961 ★ 7.7
Walter Lee Younger
All the Young Men
All the Young Men
1960 ★ 6.3
Sgt. Eddie Towler
Virgin Island
Virgin Island
1959 ★ 5.0
Marcus
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
1959 ★ 6.1
Porgy
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones
1958 ★ 7.1
Noah Cullen
The Mark of the Hawk
The Mark of the Hawk
1957 ★ 3.0
Obam
Band of Angels
Band of Angels
1957 ★ 6.2
Rau-Ru
Something of Value
Something of Value
1957 ★ 5.4
Kimani Wa Karanja
Edge of the City
Edge of the City
1957 ★ 7.1
Tommy Tyler
Good-bye, My Lady
Good-bye, My Lady
1956 ★ 7.7
Gates Watson
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
1955
Tommy Tyler
Blackboard Jungle
Blackboard Jungle
1955 ★ 6.9
Gregory W. Miller
Go Man Go
Go Man Go
1954 ★ 5.7
Inman Jackson
The Red Ball Express
The Red Ball Express
1952 ★ 5.8
Robertson
Cry, the Beloved Country
Cry, the Beloved Country
1951 ★ 6.1
Reverend Msimangu
No Way Out
No Way Out
1950 ★ 6.9
Luther Brooks
Sepia Cinderella
Sepia Cinderella
1947 ★ 4.8
Nightclub Extra (uncredited)

TV Series