Sidney Poitier Biography

Summary

"Sir Sidney Poitier", KBE (; born February 20, 1927) is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author, and diplomat. He broke through as a star in acclaimed performances in American films and plays, which, by consciously defying racial stereotyping, gave a new dramatic credibility for black actors to mainstream film audiences in the Western world.

In 1963, Poitier became the first black man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in "Lilies of the Field". The significance of this achievement was later bolstered in 1967 when he starred in three very well received films-"To Sir, with Love"; "In the Heat of the Night"; and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"-making him the top box office star of that year. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.

Poitier has directed a number of popular movies such as "Uptown Saturday Night", and "Let's Do It Again" (with friend Bill Cosby), and "Stir Crazy" (starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder). In 2002, 38 years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Award, designated 'To Sidney Poitier in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.'

Since 1997 he has been the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. On 12 August 2009, Sidney Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.

Early life

Sidney Poitier grew up with his family on remote Cat Island, in the Bahamas. However, he was born in Miami, Florida, USA, where his parents, Evelyn (née Outten) and Reginald James Poitier, traveled to sell tomatoes and other produce from their farm on Cat Island. His birth was premature and he was not expected to survive, but his parents remained three months in Miami to nurse him to health. Due to the accident of his birth, he automatically gained U.S. citizenship.

Poitier spent his early years on Cat Island, which had a population of 4,000 and no electricity. At the age of 10, Poitier traveled to Nassau with his family. Poitier still has family throughout the Bahamas islands. His younger brother, Carl Poitier died in December 1989. His family attended the Anglican and then the Catholic church, and Poitier was also involved with local voodoo traditions. As he got older, he displayed an increasing inclination toward juvenile delinquency. At the age of 15, his parents shipped him off to Miami to live with his older brother. At age 17, Poitier moved to New York City and held a string of menial jobs. During this time, he was arrested for vagrancy after being thrown out of his housing complex for not paying rent, and decided to join the United States Army. He worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a spot with the American Negro Theater.

Acting career

Poitier tried his hand at the American Negro Theater, where he was handily rejected by audiences. They didn't see anything in him to be a great actor at the time. Determined to refine his acting skills and rid himself of his noticeable Bahamian accent, he spent the next six months dedicating himself to achieving theatrical success. On his second attempt at the theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the Broadway production "Lysistrata", for which he got excellent reviews. By the end of 1949, he had to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in the film "No Way Out" (1950). His performance in "No Way Out" as a doctor treating a white bigot was noticed and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and prominent than most black actors of the time were getting, though still less so than those white actors routinely obtained.

Poitier's breakout role was as a member of an incorrigible high school class in the 1955 film "Blackboard Jungle". At age twenty-seven, like most of the actors in the film, he was not a teenager. Poitier was the first male black actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award (for "The Defiant Ones", 1958), and also the first to win the Academy Award for Best Actor (for "Lilies of the Field" in 1963). (James Baskett was the first to "receive" an Oscar, an Honorary Academy Award for his performance as Uncle Remus in the Walt Disney production of "Song of the South" in 1948, while Hattie McDaniel predated them both, winning as Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1939's "Gone with the Wind").

He acted in the first production of "A Raisin in the Sun" on Broadway in 1959, and later starred in the film version released in 1961. He also gave memorable performances in "The Bedford Incident" (1965), and "A Patch of Blue" (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters. In 1967, Poitier reached the commercial peak of his career by become the top movie star of that year with three extremely successful films, which include "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967); and "To Sir, with Love" (1967). In addition, Poitier played his most successful character, Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania detective in the 1967 film "In the Heat of the Night" and its two sequels: "They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!" (1970) and "The Organization" (1971).

However, Poitier began to be criticized for typecasting himself as playing overidealized black characters who were not permitted to have any sexuality or personality faults, such as his character in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner". Poitier was aware of this pattern himself, but was conflicted on the matter; he wanted more varied roles, but also felt obliged to set a good example with his characters to defy previous stereotypes on account that he was the only major black actor in the American film industry. For instance, Poitier, along with his producers, was able to make Virgil Tibbs a dignified and astute detective who is capable of making errors in judgment, such as when he thought that a rich white bigot was the culprit of a murder until he realized his loathing of the man was influencing his judgment, and is willing to forcefully stand up for himself in the face of bigotry such as in the famous scene where he immediately struck back at that bigot when he slapped him.

Directorial career

Poitier has directed several films, the most successful being the Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder comedy "Stir Crazy", which for years was the highest grossing film directed by a person of African descent. His feature film directorial debut was the western "Buck and the Preacher" in which Poitier also starred in alongside Harry Belafonte. Poitier replaced original director Joseph Sargent. The trio of Poitier, Cosby, and Belafonte reunited again (with Poitier again directing) in "Uptown Saturday Night". Poitier also directed Cosby in "Let's Do It Again", "A Piece of the Action", and "Ghost Dad". Poitier also directed the first popular dance battle movie "Fast Forward" in 1985.

Personal life

Poitier was first married to Juanita Hardy from April 29, 1950 until 1965. He has been married to Joanna Shimkus, a Canadian-born former actress of Lithuanian descent, since January 23, 1976. He has four daughters by his first marriage and two by his second: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Gina, Anika, Sydney Tamiia (see: actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier).

Actress Diahann Carroll has claimed in a memoir that Poitier had promised to marry her and subsequently broke his promise.

He has written three autobiographical books, "This Life" (1980), "The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography" (2000) and "Life Beyond Measure - letters to my Great-Granddaughter" (2008). The second one became an Oprah's Book Club selection.

Later life

In April 1997, Poitier was appointed as ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan, a position he currently holds. He is also the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO. During the period of 1998 to 2003, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company.

In 2001, Poitier received an Academy Honorary Award for his overall contribution to American cinema.

August 2009, Poitier received the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

Filmography

Actor

Based on the true story of a fuel community--"Nazi Sleeper Cell" in the North of UK; & in rural Soviet Union; & simply re-worked to fit in with cold war paranoia.

Awards and recognition

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, awarded in 1974. Because Poitier is a citizen of The Bahamas, a Commonwealth realm that subscribes to the British Honours System, this is a substantive (as opposed to honorary) knighthood, which entitles him to the style 'Sir.' Poitier does not use the style in the USA, nor does his wife use the style 'Lady Poitier'.

1992 AFI Life Achievement Award

1995 SAG Life Achievement Award

1997 Appointed non-resident Bahamian Ambassador to Japan

1999 Kennedy Center Honors

2000 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for "The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn"

2001 NAACP Image Award - Hall of Fame Award

2001 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album - Rick Harris, John Runnette (producers) and Sidney Poitier for "The Measure of a Man"

2002 Honorary Oscar - 'For his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.'

2009 Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom