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Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier

Acting·1927–2022·85 films

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),

As Actor

The Jackal
The Jackal (1997)Carter Preston
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (1967)Virgil Tibbs
Sneakers
Sneakers (1992)Crease
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)John Prentice
To Sir, with Love
To Sir, with Love (1967)Mark Thackeray
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones (1958)Noah Cullen
Shoot to Kill
Shoot to Kill (1988)Warren Stantin
Lilies of the Field
Lilies of the Field (1963)Homer Smith
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)Simon of Cyrene
Blackboard Jungle
Blackboard Jungle (1955)Gregory W. Miller
A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun (1961)Walter Lee Younger
A Patch of Blue
A Patch of Blue (1965)Gordon Ralfe
Little Nikita
Little Nikita (1988)Roy Parmenter
Duel at Diablo
Duel at Diablo (1966)Toller
No Way Out
No Way Out (1950)Luther Brooks
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)Virgil Tibbs
The Bedford Incident
The Bedford Incident (1965)Ben Munceford
Paris Blues
Paris Blues (1961)Eddie Cook
Buck and the Preacher
Buck and the Preacher (1972)Buck
The Long Ships
The Long Ships (1964)Aly Mansuh
To Sir, with Love II
To Sir, with Love II (1996)Mark Thackeray
Edge of the City
Edge of the City (1957)Tommy Tyler
The Organization
The Organization (1971)Virgil Tibbs
The Slender Thread
The Slender Thread (1965)Alan Newell
Band of Angels
Band of Angels (1957)Rau-Ru
Sidney
Sidney (2022)Self
The Wilby Conspiracy
The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)Shack Twala
Pressure Point
Pressure Point (1962)Doctor
Uptown Saturday Night
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)Steve Jackson
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess (1959)Porgy
Let's Do It Again
Let's Do It Again (1975)Clyde Williams
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007)Self
Something of Value
Something of Value (1957)Kimani Wa Karanja
A Piece of the Action
A Piece of the Action (1977)Manny Durrell
The Red Ball Express
The Red Ball Express (1952)Robertson
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn (1999)Noah Dearborn
Remembering Gene Wilder
Remembering Gene Wilder (2024)Self (archive photos)
Cry, the Beloved Country
Cry, the Beloved Country (1951)Reverend Msimangu
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist (1979)Narrator (voice)
David and Lisa
David and Lisa (1998)Dr. Jack Miller
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night (1988)Self - Audience Member
A Warm December
A Warm December (1973)Dr. Matt Younger
Brother John
Brother John (1971)John Kane
Separate But Equal
Separate But Equal (1991)Thurgood Marshall
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)Self (archive footage)
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley (2013)Self
All the Young Men
All the Young Men (1960)Sgt. Eddie Towler
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback (2023)Self (archive footage)
Sing Your Song
Sing Your Song (2012)Self
For Love of Ivy
For Love of Ivy (1968)Jack Parks
Good-bye, My Lady
Good-bye, My Lady (1956)Gates Watson
Mandela and de Klerk
Mandela and de Klerk (1997)Nelson Mandela
The Mark of the Hawk
The Mark of the Hawk (1957)Obam
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn (1986)Self
The Last Brickmaker in America
The Last Brickmaker in America (2001)Henry Cobb
Sepia Cinderella
Sepia Cinderella (1947)Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
The Lost Man
The Lost Man (1969)Jason Higgs
Go Man Go
Go Man Go (1954)Inman Jackson
Night of 100 Stars II
Night of 100 Stars II (1985)Self
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist (1998)Reverend Msimangu (archive footage)
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1995)Self
Sidney Poitier - The Man Who Changed Hollywood
Sidney Poitier - The Man Who Changed Hollywood (2023)Self (archive footage)
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart (2017)Self
Free of Eden
Free of Eden (1999)Will Cleamons
Mr. SOUL!
Mr. SOUL! (2018)Self (archive footage)
Virgin Island
Virgin Island (1959)Marcus
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000)
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
The Making of ‘Sneakers’ (2003)Self
Nationtime
Nationtime (1972)Self - Narrator
Afro Promo
Afro Promo (1997)Self (archive footage)
A Cinderella Named Elizabeth
A Cinderella Named Elizabeth (1965)Self
Quincy Jones: In the Pocket
Quincy Jones: In the Pocket (2001)Self
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington (2013)Self
The Resurrection of Christ
The Resurrection of Christ (2026)
I Love Quincy
I Love Quincy (1984)Self
The Strolling '20s
The Strolling '20s (1966)Self
The Madding Crowd
The Madding Crowd (2017)Self (archive footage)
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall (1955)Tommy Tyler
A Star Without a Star: The Untold Juanita Moore Story
A Star Without a Star: The Untold Juanita Moore Story (2022)Self
Poitier's Walter Lee
Poitier's Walter Lee (2018)Self (archive footage)
Richard Widmark: Strength of Characters
Richard Widmark: Strength of Characters (2000)Self

As Director

As Writer