| Sidney Poiter |
|
A native of Cat Island, The Bahamas, (though born in Miami during a mainland visit by his parents), Poitier grew up in poverty as the son of a dirt farmer. He had little formal education and at the age of 15 was sent to Miami to live with his brother, in order to forestall a growing tendency ward delinquency. In the U.S., Poitier first experienced the racial chasm that divides the country, a great shock to a boy coming from a society of black majority. A determination to find and create opportunities for blacks was born in him in the poor treatment he received on the streets of Miami. At 18, he went to New York, did menial jobs and slept in a bus terminal ilet. A brief stint in the Army as a worker at a veteran's hospital was followed by more menial jobs in Harlem. An impulsive audition at the American Negro Theatre was rejected so forcefully that Poitier dedicated the next six months to overcoming his accent and performance ineptness. On his second try, he was accepted. He was spotted in a rehearsal and given a bit part in a Broadway production of "Lysistrata, " for which he got excellent reviews. By the end of 1949, he was having to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in the film No Way Out (1950). Poitier's performance as a doctor treating a white bigot got him plenty of notice and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and prominent than most black actors of the time were getting. Nevertheless, the roles were still less interesting and prominent than those white actors routinely obtained. But seven years later, after turning down several projects he considered demeaning, Poitier got a number of roles that catapulted him into a category rarely if ever achieved by a black man of that time, that of starring leading man. One of the films, Defiant Ones, The (1958), gave Poitier his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. Five years later, he won the Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1963), the first black to win for a leading role. Poitier maintained activity on stage, on screen, and in the burgeoning civil rights movement. His roles in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) and _To Sir, with Love (1966)_ were for their time landmarks in the breaking down of social barriers between blacks and whites, and Poitier's talent, conscience, integrity, and inherent likeability placed him on equal footing with the white stars of the day. He ok on directing and producing chores in the Seventies, achieving success in both arenas. Although he has reduced the frequency of his roles in recent years, he remains one of the most respected and beloved figures in American cinema of the twentieth century. Trivia: Former brother-in-law of light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore. Best known for being first major African American actor to star in successful mainstream Hollywood films that went out of their way to depict an African American man in a non stereotypical fashion, often to the point of being almost inhumanly perfect and certainly morally and intellectually superior to the white characters. Father of Sydney Tamiia Poitier. Children: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Gina (with) Juanita Hardy. Anika, Sydney (with Joanna Shimkus). Became the first black man to win an Academy Award for his role as Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field (1963). [1963] When Poitier came to New York from the Caribbean to become an actor, he was so impoverished at first that he slept in the bus station. To get his first major role in No Way Out (1950), he lied to director 'John Mankiewicz' and told him he was 27, when actually only 22 years old. Sits on USC School of Cinema-Television's Board of Councilors. Stanley Kramer approached Poitier about co-starring in Defiant Ones, The (1958), which would make him a bigger star, but informed him that if he did not take the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess (1959), that it might kill his chances for "The Defiant Ones." Darryl F. Zanuck had that much clout in Hollywood. Appointed an Honorary KBE in 1974. His Let's Do It Again (1975) turned out to be the highest grossing film directed by a black filmmaker until Spike Lee's Jungle Fever 16 years later. Of Haitian ancestry from his father's side. While trying to sing with some fellow actors in Off-Broadway theatre he found he was tone deaf. (1998) Member of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company (April 1997) Appointed as ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan (he was born in the United States but is a citizen of the Bahamas). Talented, passionate actor
whose pioneering screen work in the 1950s and 1960s paved the way for
countless other black performers. Born in Miami, Poitier was raised in the
Bahamas by tomato growers, living in poverty and completing only a few years
of formal education. Making his way back to his birthplace as a teenager, he
labored in several menial jobs before entering the Army. Afterward, he
joined the American Negro Theater, eventually finding his way to New York
and appearing on Broadway in "Anna Lucasta" (1948). He first appeared on the
big screen in No Way Out (1950), in a plum role as a hospital intern who
locks horns with racist punk Richard Widmark, and went on to costar with
veteran black actor Canada Lee in Cry, the Beloved Country (1951), which was
filmed on location in South Africa. His subsequent films were a mixed bag,
but he made a vivid impression as a rebellious student in Blackboard Jungle
(1955), and did excellent work as a good-hearted dock worker in Edge of the
City (1957). In 1958 he received his first Oscar nomination, for his
portrayal of an escaped convict in The Defiant Ones With that film he became
Hollywood's first black leading man-and star. A string of hits followed,
including Porgy and Bess (1959), All the Young Men (1960), A Raisin in the
Sun, Paris Blues (both 1961), Pressure Point (1962), and Lilies of the Field
(1963); this last picture brought Poitier his only Oscar to date. source: http://www.historychannel.com/perl/print_book.pl?ID=110848 |