Sidney Poitier

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

February 20, 1927

died

January 6, 2022

place of birth

Miami, Florida, USA

also known as

Sir Sidney Poitier · Сидней Пуатье · シドニー・ポワティエ

total credits

50 movies

Biography

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.

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Known For

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Sneakers
6.9

Sneakers

1992as Crease
The Jackal
6.4

The Jackal

1997as Carter Preston
In the Heat of the Night
7.7

In the Heat of the Night

1967as Virgil Tibbs
Shoot to Kill
6.6

Shoot to Kill

1988as Warren Stantin
The Greatest Story Ever Told
6.4

The Greatest Story Ever Told

1965as Simon of Cyrene
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
7.6

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

1967as John Prentice
To Sir, with Love
7.5

To Sir, with Love

1967as Mark Thackeray
Nationtime
8.0

Nationtime

1972as Self - Narrator
Duel at Diablo
6.3

Duel at Diablo

1966as Toller
Little Nikita
6.1

Little Nikita

1988as Roy Parmenter
Uptown Saturday Night
6.2

Uptown Saturday Night

1974as Steve Jackson
Night of 100 Stars II
8.0

Night of 100 Stars II

1985as Self
The Defiant Ones
7.1

The Defiant Ones

1958as Noah Cullen
Sidney
7.0

Sidney

2022as Self
The Long Ships
6.1

The Long Ships

1964as Aly Mansuh
A Patch of Blue
7.6

A Patch of Blue

1965as Gordon Ralfe
A Raisin in the Sun
7.7

A Raisin in the Sun

1961as Walter Lee Younger
Lilies of the Field
7.2

Lilies of the Field

1963as Homer Smith
Buck and the Preacher
6.3

Buck and the Preacher

1972as Buck
The Bedford Incident
7.0

The Bedford Incident

1965as Ben Munceford
Blackboard Jungle
6.9

Blackboard Jungle

1955as Gregory W. Miller
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
5.9

They Call Me Mister Tibbs!

1970as Virgil Tibbs
The Organization
6.3

The Organization

1971as Virgil Tibbs
The Slender Thread
7.1

The Slender Thread

1965as Alan Newell
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
7.3

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

1970as Self (archive footage)
Pressure Point
6.5

Pressure Point

1962as Doctor
Paris Blues
6.5

Paris Blues

1961as Eddie Cook
Band of Angels
6.3

Band of Angels

1957as Rau-Ru
To Sir, with Love II
6.4

To Sir, with Love II

1996as Mark Thackeray
Porgy and Bess
6.3

Porgy and Bess

1959as Porgy
No Way Out
6.9

No Way Out

1950as Luther Brooks
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
8.3

The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn

1986as Self
Free of Eden
9.7

Free of Eden

1999as Will Cleamons
The Wilby Conspiracy
6.4

The Wilby Conspiracy

1975as Shack Twala
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
7.6

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night

1988as Self - Audience Member
Mr. SOUL!
7.0

Mr. SOUL!

2018as Self (archive footage)
David and Lisa
6.0

David and Lisa

1998as Dr. Jack Miller
Remembering Gene Wilder
7.2

Remembering Gene Wilder

2024as Self (archive photos)
The Red Ball Express
5.9

The Red Ball Express

1952as Robertson
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project
6.8

Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

2007as Self
The Last Brickmaker in America
8.0

The Last Brickmaker in America

2001as Henry Cobb
Let's Do It Again
7.0

Let's Do It Again

1975as Clyde Williams
The Lost Man
4.2

The Lost Man

1969as Jason Higgs
Edge of the City
7.2

Edge of the City

1957as Tommy Tyler
A Piece of the Action
5.8

A Piece of the Action

1977as Manny Durrell
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
6.2

The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn

1999as Noah Dearborn
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback
6.5

Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback

2023as Self (archive footage)
The Resurrection of Christ

The Resurrection of Christ

2026
Something of Value
5.5

Something of Value

1957as Kimani Wa Karanja
Cry, the Beloved Country
6.3

Cry, the Beloved Country

1951as Reverend Msimangu