Tribute to Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian-American actor, director and producer who not only became the first Black movie star, but was the first African American to win an Academy Award for best actor for Lilies of the Field in 1963.

Poitier's contributions towards racial equality were 'instrumental for the diversity of Hollywood'. Rejecting parts that had racial stereotypes, he redefined roles for African Americans wanting to follow in his acting footsteps.

"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

Early years

Poitier was born three months premature in Miami on 20 February 1927 while on a visit by his parents from the Bahamas. Poitier was the youngest of seven children who grew up in impoverished conditions on Cat Island.

When Poitier was ten, he moved to Nassau where he was exposed to the modern world for the first time and was amazed, among many other things, to see automobiles and motion pictures. At age fifteen, Poitier then moved to Miami to live with his brother's family, but found the racism too much and moved to New York the following year.

In New York, Poitier tried to become an actor but as he couldn't fluently read a script, failed his first auditions. Thanks to the kindness of an elderly, Jewish waiter who helped him read, he improved.

Poitier enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he served briefly in a Veteran's Administration hospital. When he was eventually discharged, he worked as a dishwasher before landing a successful audition with the American Negro Theatre (ANT) in New York.

Although the theatre accepted him, audiences sadly did not, largely due to his accent. Determined to succeed, Poitier practised American enunciation while listening to radio voices and finally, after six months, he was noticed and given a leading role in the 1946 Broadway production of Lysistrata.

1950s

By 1949, Poitier had leading role options on stage and in film, and chose his first credited film role as Dr. Luther Brook in No Way Out (1950) where he played a Black doctor who treats a bigoted white criminal.

The role opened doors to more interesting and prominent ones which at the time, most African-Americans were not being offered. Refusing racial stereotype roles, Poitier established a significant trend for both himself and for Black actors that followed in his acting footsteps.

"You don't have to become something you're not to be better than you were." - Sidney Poitier

In 1951, Poitier travelled to South Africa to appear in Cry, the Beloved Country (1951), an adaptation of Alan Paton's novel about a murder in apartheid South Africa, where he portrayed a reverend.

His distinction continued with another leading role in Blackboard Jungle (1955). But it was his performance in the gripping drama, Edge of the City (1957) that pitched the actor towards stardom.

 Poitier continued to accept roles that examined racial tensions like Band of Angels (1957) and The Defiant Ones (1958), in which Poitier played a prisoner who escapes with a white inmate and in order to succeed, the pair had to overcome their own racial prejudices. The film earned Poitier an Oscar nomination for best actor, the first African American male performer to earn such an accolade. He also received acclaim for his work in Porgy and Bess (1959), receiving a 1960 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.

1960s

By 1961, Poitier had received another Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the film A Raisin in the Sun (1961). In the same year he starred in Paris Blues which dealt with American racism in contrast with Paris's open acceptance of Black people.

Poitier's next big role in Lilies of the Field (1963) made history when he won an Academy Award for best actor, the first time a Black male had ever done so. Although honoured, he was also concerned that the award was more about the industry congratulating itself for having him as a badge.

Working little over the next year, in 1964 he recorded an album, reciting passages from Plato's writings and appeared in the biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and A Patch of Blue (1965).

In 1967, Poitier appeared in To Sir, with Love, Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. The success of these three films made Poitier the top draw at the box-office that year.

1970s

In 1972, Poitier made his feature film directorial debut with the Western, Buck and the Preacher, which he also starred in. Directing several other films during the decade, including three he also starred in were: Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975) and A Piece of the Action (1977).

1980s

Poitier's most successful comedy film was Stir Crazy (1980), which was the highest-grossing film ever directed by a person of African descent.

The last films he directed were: Hanky Panky (1982), Fast Forward (1985) and Ghost Dad (1990).

Later career

Returning to acting after more than a decade, Poitier starred in a stream of hit films alongside many big Hollywood stars: Shoot to Kill (1988), Little Nikita (1998), Sneakers (1992) and The Jackal (1997).

Later credits to Poitier's success were his performances in television movies: Separate but Equal (1991), Mandela and de Klerk (1997);  both of which he received Golden Globe nominations for, and The Last Brickmaker in America (2001).

Poitier received the 2001 Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to American cinema and for his accomplishments as a human being. Later in the same Academy Award ceremony, Denzel Washington won Best Actor for his role in Training Day (2001), becoming only the second Black actor to do so. Washington saluted his role-model Poitier saying:

"I'll always be chasing you, Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps. There's nothing I would rather do, sir."

Death and legacy

A dual citizen of the United States and The Bahamas, Poitier was appointed ambassador to Japan for The Bahamas from 1997 to 2007. Poitier was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom by then president, Barack Obama in 2009.

Sidney Poitier passed away in his home in Beverly Hills on 6 January 2022, aged 94.

Many honourable statements were released following his death,including:

"It was a privilege to call Sidney Poitier my friend. He was a gentleman and opened doors for all of us that had been closed for years…" - Denzel Washington

"With unflinching grandeur and poise - his singular warmth, depth, and stature on-screen - Sidney helped open the hearts of millions and changed the way America saw itself." - President Joe Biden

"...a singular talent who epitomized dignity and grace" - Former president Barack Obama

"For me, the greatest of the "Great Trees" has fallen: Sidney Poitier. My honor to have loved him as a mentor. Friend. Brother. Confidant. Wisdom teacher. The utmost, highest regard and praise for his most magnificent, gracious, eloquent life. I treasured him. I adored him. He had an enormous soul I will forever cherish.." - Oprah

"Sir Sidney Poitier, your brilliant light will never dim. The doors you opened and paths you created will continue to make way for those with a dream. You showed the world that with vision and grace, all is possible" - Lenny Kravitz

When Poitier said, "I am the me I choose to be." It was not only a choice that influenced greatness in his life, it was a choice that influenced greatness in everyone.

Rest in peace Sidney Poitier, thank you for being a guiding light for so many and for showing us all how to reach for the stars.

By Kirsten Jakubenko

Sources:

• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001627/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sidney-Poitier
• https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sidney-poitier-remembered-tribute- 123514... /
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Poitier