Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964 for "Lilies of the Field." In an era when Hollywood offered Black actors only stereotypes, Poitier demanded and embodied dignity — on screen and off.
Born in Miami and raised in the Bahamas, Poitier moved to New York at 15 with virtually nothing. He taught himself to read by studying newspapers and overcame a thick Bahamian accent through sheer repetition. He joined the American Negro Theatre and within a decade was a leading man.
In 1967, he starred in three landmark films in a single year: "In the Heat of the Night," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," and "To Sir, with Love." No actor had ever had a year like it. He opened doors that every Black actor in Hollywood walked through.
I made a conscious decision that I would not play roles that were demeaning to my people.— Sidney Poitier
Key Milestones
