R.I.P. Sidney Poitier
The trailblazing actor, who was an icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood, was 94 years old
Aux News Poitier
Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, has died at the age of 94. His death was confirmed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Bahamas. Poitier was one of the last living members of the Golden Age of Hollywood, a trailblazer who helped open doors for Black actors.
Poitier was born on Feb. 20, 1927, when his Bahamian parents were on vacation in Miami. He grew up in the Bahamas and moved back to America as a teenager. At 16, he lied about his age in order to enlist in the army during World War II. When his service was finished, he worked as a dishwasher in New York City until he joined the American Negro Theater.
In 1946, a 19-year-old Poitier joined an all-Black Broadway production of Lysistrata. He had his first film role in 1950's No Way Out, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
Poitier became the first Black man to be nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, for 1958’s The Defiant Ones. He would ultimately win the award in 1963 for his work in Lilies Of The Field, becoming the first Black man to win in the category.
Poitier also acted in the first Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun, and would star in the film adaptation. He also starred in the film adaptation of Porgy And Bess.
In 1967, Poitier starred in three of the year’s top-grossing films: To Sir, With Love, In The Heat Of The Night, and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner. In Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, Poitier played a man in a relationship with Katharine Houghton, one of the first times an interracial relationship was portrayed positively on screen. Laws against interracial marriage had only been overturned six months before the film’s release, with the court decision in Loving v. Virginia.
His work frequently addressed important issues around race. Poitier’s 1975 film, The Wilby Conspiracy, took a stand against South African apartheid, and he demanded the crew of his 1969 film The Lost Man be half Black. His activism extended off the screen as well: He attended the 1963 March on Washington and the 1968 march in support of the Poor People’s Campaign. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said of Poitier in 1967, “He is a man of great depth, a man of great social concern, a man who is dedicated to human rights and freedom.”
Poitier also directed nine films, including 1980’s Stir Crazy starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. It was the first film by a Black director to make over $100 million at the box office.
In addition to his historic Academy Award win, Poitier was also given an honorary Oscar at the 2001 ceremony. President Barack Obama awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In 1981, he received the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award award, and in 1999 he was awarded the Screen Actors Guild’s lifetime achievement award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.
Poitier wrote three memoirs: 1980’s This Life, 2000’s The Measure Of A Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, and 2008’s Life Beyond Measure: Letters To My Great-Granddaughter.
Poitier is survived by his wife, Joanna Shimkus, and five of his six children, Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Anika and Sydney Tamiia. His daughter Gina Poitier died in 2018.
110 Comments
He also directed Ghost Dad!We don’t talk about it much.
I loved those crime comedies in the 70s as a kid. The only one that doesn’t hold up so well now is the last. A little long and boring.
No way!
We all have our crosses to bear — Ghost Dad was one of his.
He was tight with Cosby back then. I wonder how much he knew about Bill’s hobbies…
Who cares? I don’t get why dopes like to bring up this stupid irrelevant nonsense when we should be talking about the career and life of one of the greatest actors.
So was Robert Culp, until…he wasn’t, suddenly.Maybe they both found out and couldn’t accept it any more?
Yeah I’m sure he told him about his druggin and rapin
I suspect Cosby’s behavior was much more commonplace in the 70s than people let on or want to admit. Not suggesting Poitier knew anything, but if he did it probably (and sadly) didn’t seem terribly out of place.
The slap scene from In the Heat of the Night is still shocking, satisfying, and so good. RIP.
And the original script had Tibbs just accepting the slap, supposedly showing himself to be the bigger man. Poitier himself insisted the scene wouldn’t play that way, and he had to hit the guy back.
He was right. Not hitting back wouldn’t have shown him to be ‘better’, just submissive.
What a brilliant rewrite. He was totally correct.
That movie also had some very buried gay subtext I doubt few at the time picked up on. The scene between Steiger and Poitier in the house has a few suggestive lines and repressed sexual tension.
Ugh. Dude, even though this is the AV Club, this is NOT the venue for you to try out your “In the Heat of the Night” slash fiction. Just send it to me and I’ll have an unzip and evaluate it.
Watch this scene in the house and tell me their isn’t something being suggested here. Rod Steiger’s character is clearly sending out a feeler in some of his dialogue. Poitier doesn’t reciprocate but he catches on.
This is as bad a reach as the January 6th insurrectionist being called “patriots”.
Not a reach. It’s pretty obvious. And I found this scene by typing ‘In the heat of the night gay’ into youtube and it was the first clip that showed up, so I’m clearly not the first person to understand the subtext of this moment.
I only saw the film for the first time about three years ago. I wish that I had not waited so long. The performances are in no way lost relative to the Message.
Many actors wait an entire career to put together a trifecta like Heat of the Night, To Sir with Love, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – and he did it in a single year.
Poitier could do so much with a single word:Mother:
Cattle mutilations are up.Donald Crease:
Don’t.Mother:
Sorry.
He never really got a great scene in Sneakers, but he was such a great presence in that movie.
I don’t know, kicking the shit out of the two armed guards (one of which had just called him “midnight”) to the shock and awe of Dan Aykroyd was pretty good.
I would’ve been happy with a two-hander spin-off of Mother annoying the shit out of Crease with his constant stream of batshit conspiracy theories (back when conspiracy theories were fun and not, ya know, a threat to the nation.)
Motherfucker mess with me I’ll split yo head!!
Yah, that is a highlight of an already A+ movie.
Why that movie hasn’t been a bigger deal is beyond me. Every single person I know (plus all AVC commenters) who has seen it thinks it’s fantastic. What an absurd cast for a middle-budget heist movie.
What an amazing life. RIP.
Dinner’s off then?
Not that I ever need an excuse, but this is a good time to rewatch Sneakers.
Not that I ever need an excuse, but this is a good time to rewatch Sneakers Man, there is nothing wrong with that movie. (Is some of the computer stuff inaccurate? I don’t know and I don’t care….)
Man, there is nothing wrong with that movie. (Is some of the computer stuff inaccurate? I don’t know and I don’t care….)I mean, it was ‘92 so . . . probably? But yeah, it doesn’t matter. And the scene when they figure out just how terrifyingly dangerous that little black box could be was absolutely masterful. “Anybody want to crash a couple of passenger jets?”
Much of the computer stuff is total nonsense, but in a way that works for the plot and is easy to ignore as a standard unrealistic trope (the same way we ignore that silencers do not make gunshots sound like a cat sneezing, that people cannot get shot multiple times and beaten severely and then engage in a high-speed foot chase, etc.). It’s one of my favorite movies.
Can blind people drive trucks?
They can, but they probably shouldn’t.
Way ahead of it’s time in understanding data will be the highest valued commodity.. Internet was still so rudimentary in ‘92
Both Sneakers and Wargames are among the most accurate “computer movies” made.It’s no coincidence that they’re made by the same people.
I was going to say the same thing. Even if the explanations weren’t completely accurate it looked real. Green screen, ascii, command line, all that. Compared to “Hackers” it was an Intro to Comp Sci class.
Hackers is such a weird movie. You can tell they made an effort to research the subculture. There are references to the Hacker manifesto and they reference several real books that every competent hacker read at some point and there are other indications that they really did their research but the portrayal of the tech is so terribly Hollywood that it’s hard to take it seriously.Still, it’s one of my favorite “computer movies” of the 90s.
It did capture the spirit of the time if not the look. I think they even quote the “beauty of the band” line directly. And I enjoyed Fisher Stevens as the skateboarding villain.
For Hackers, they consulted with people who were pretty big in the scene at the time, but were very clear that all they wanted from the consultants was the culture stuff, war stories, etc. There’s actually a few scenes in it that are borrowed from stories the consultants provided.
The “passport” thing bothered me. Why didn’t Mary McDonnell’s character pretend not to be able to think of a common word instead? “I’m heading to Europe this summer and have to get my… crap, you know, that little… book thing renewed. The ID thing. Why am I blanking on this?” It would have made both characters look smarter, which is a rarity.
For a guy with a 180 IQ, he wasn’t very quick on the uptake. But otherwise I find that movie about perfect. Love Kingsley’s “WHY IS IT SO HOT IN HERE?!” exclamation as he comes to realize something’s really off.
Obviously their McGuffin is totally made up, but other than that most of it is very accurate for the time – there’s a math word that’s misused in the lecture they attend that really stands out because most of the rest is so well done. (They say “of Gaussian proportions”, which is a nonsensical way to use that word)
I watched that again a couple of months ago. Solid thriller.
I just did a couple of weeks ago. It’s eerily prescient.
Another excellent film he was in (also called “Shoot to Kill”) with great performances all round.
Having worked in security, Robert Redford scamming his way into a building without proper ID by looking harmless, carrying stuff for a birthday party, and River Phoenix being more annoying at the same time as a delivery driver… yes, that would have worked. I have not seen it since it was in theaters and hope that my recollection is correct, especially since I initially typed “Christian Slater” instead of River Phoenix.
There was a guy caught some years ago stealing computer equipment from businesses (can’t find the details now, it was a pretty small but funny story), and had gained access to various buildings by wearing work coveralls and carrying a ladder. No one questions the guy carrying a ladder.
Yes! Thanks – good idea.
Oh I love that movie. Thank you for reminding me of it. I will be watching that ASAP.
It’s such a product of its’ time but has held up over the years. It’s an absolute stellar cast and I still love how Phoenix’ character could get anything but all he wants is the female agents number at the end of the film. Absolutely perfect.
Poitier was in a very difficult position in the Fifties and Sixties because, as the only major Black film actor, he couldn’t just be in a movie and give a performance. He had to “represent his race” every time out of the gate. It was a heavy load that he handled with grace, intelligence, and dignity. I’m sure he was delighted when, in the Seventies, he was able to let it all hang out and direct goofy comedies. As much as he accomplished earlier in his career, he could have done so much more if Hollywood had just loosened up. His being in a picture was practically a “message” all by itself, and that had to be a burden.
It was Poitier himself who insisted on only taking black roles that were diginfied, so “burden” might be the wrong way to look at it. He was glad to do it.
He did it willingly because Somebody Had To, and he was the person best placed for the job.
The irony is that he won his Oscar not for playing A Credit to His Race, but for playing a guy who was a bit of a hustler (which any Man of Color in 1950s America had to be) who got out-hustled into building a church by a hard-ass German nun. Lilies of the Field is a beautiful movie, in no small part because it recognizes the inherent humor of two people who had to learn to hustle playing each other while working together towards a greater good.
He also got blowback from people who insisted that he wasn’t truly representative of Black Americans, being an islander. Because there’ll always be something to complain about.
it always blows my mind to see how much Black caribbean people contributed to Black american culture/politics, but rarely get any credit.
He also got blowback from people who insisted that he wasn’t truly representative of Black Americans, being an islander. Because there’ll always be something to complain about.
As the child of black Caribbean and West African parents who grew up in America from the age of five, I think this statement is greatly diminishing the complexity of the relationship between Black Americans and African Diaspora, and the dominant white cultures role in creating tension in that relationship. It’s fair to say some of the treatment Poitier received was unfair, and that he had a sincere commitment to advocating for black people. That doesn’t mean, however, that there weren’t genuine disagreements about how Poitier chose to represent that advocacy, or that Poitier was used cynically by some white people as a way to criticize the attitudes and actions of other black people. Furthermore, I know for a fact that some African diaspora that moved to America looked down on American born black people. That doesn’t justify the resentment some American born blacks displayed to diaspora as a group (a resentment that still exists to some extent today) but it does establish that it didn’t spring from nothing.
There’s an argument that islanders get some leeway American-born African Americans don’t get. But there also are prejudices against foreigners on top of racial prejudices, so I can’t see how that’s true, especially if you don’t speak English coming in. But in some cases immigrants also look down on African Americans and wonder why they “complain so much” not having been exposed to generations of redlining and splitting of families. At least not here. Another example is Dominican ballplayers are infinitely more numerous and popular for baseball white audiences and are sometimes used against Americans as an example of someone who got out of a worse situation, so we all gotta bootstrap etc.
Poitier was in a very difficult position in the Fifties and Sixties because, as the only major Black film actor, he couldn’t just be in a movie and give a performance Actually he wasn’t the only “major” Black film actor from that era, as Sammy Davis Jr., was just as big in music and film the 60s with the Rat Pack movies and on his own. And Sidney’s good pal (and still alive, knock on wood) Harry Belafonte was also a music and film star, and one of the first to have an interracial romantic lead.Both starred in the 70s groundbreaking black western Buck And The Preacher. Produced by Belafonte and directed by Poitier.
Sammy Davis, Jr. did not have remotely the pull in movies that Poitier had, and he never did. In Las Vegas, yes, and he was brilliant. But not in Hollywood.
I never said he had pull in films, but he was a major star on the screen by association with The Rat Pack.
He was a co-star in some Rat Pack movies (and not even all of those because Frank got mad at him at one point) and a handful of other films that didn’t do huge business. Again, I mean in the Fifties and Sixties, not the Seventies. We’re talking about two completely different situations. Poitier was a major box office draw who was nominated for and won Academy Awards. He was ranked with fucking John Wayne as a legitimate film draw! Again, I’m not downplaying Sammy Davis, Jr.’s brilliance, but…
He should have called his autobiography “Yes I Can, but Only If Frank Sinatra Says It’s Okay”
A parallel universe where Poitier played the captain of the Enterprise instead of Shatner…
I honestly didn’t know until this moment that he directed Stir Crazy. Wilder really managed to walk the line by being in on the joke (something Poitier and Pryor surely had an influence on), but I can’t imagine that movie or Blazing Saddles getting made today.
I think it could, it would just be much different due to the changing trends of today. The content has been just as vulgar in more recent race-related movies. I also could see a bunch of incels calling Blazing Saddles woke or anti-white nowadays, with the sheriff being too much smarter than the other characters.
Which is kind of my point. You can bet your ass people would go nuts over the scene where Little takes himself hostage as well. No one would be happy about it. That’s not to say it couldn’t be financially successful since most viewers just want a funny movie, but actually getting to production alone could be a challenge.
True
Oof, this one hurts. Rest in peace, Mr. Poitier.
Guess Who’s Coming to Heaven
And meanwhile all the racists who were uncomfortable with him are In The Heat of The Other Place.
Arizona does stay pretty warm in the winter.
We owe him so much.Thank you.
Sidney Poitier is a legend and a genius. I hope his films are preserved.
One really underrated film of his (and in which his race is absolutely no issue at all for a change) is The Bedford Incident, where he’s a war reporter assigned to a Navy ship, whose captain (Richard Widmark) becomes obsessed with hunting down a Soviet submarine. He and Widmark go at each other beautifully, and its ending will definitely stay with you for a while.
Yes, that was a surprisingly powerful movie — all the better because you waited for Widmark to go all racist and he never did, he just didn’t like having civilians on his boat.
They call him Mister Poitier!RIP
Wow. 94. Good for him. He won.
Yeah, and after him, Betty White, and Carl Reiner last year, I kind of want to carbon-freeze Dick Van Dyke and Mel Brooks.
Add in Julie Andrews and Angela Lansbury and we got a deal.
And on top of everything else, he nailed Diahann Carroll. Rest easy, good sir.
Not only was he a GOAT, he was also a F (first) OAT! I recently watched Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner for the first time and although that style of movie isn’t usually my cup of tea, his performance was so powerful. He owned each scene he was in.
Though the reason he’s specified as the first black MAN to win an Oscar is because Hattie McDaniels did it for Gone with the Wind.
Still first…
First Actor of Color to win for Best Actor (of either gender).
Hattie McDaniel won as Best Supporting Actress — and couldn’t even sit at the same table as her co-stars at the Oscars!
What a titan of acting. Even from the beginning he was stealing scenes, and he rightfully got all the credit for To Sir with Love and In the Heat of the Night. He was also on the board of directors for Disney and played a role in kicking Michael Eisner out. What a man, I couldn’t make him sound more cool then he already is. Farewell Sidney, you inspired multiple generations and will continue to forever.
He directed Stir Crazy? That was the first R-rated movie I ever saw (unless it was Airplane, I forget which came first).RIP, sir
Airplane! was rated PG.
Which is why my wife and I decided to stream it for family movie night a few years ago. It had been so long since I saw anything but the TV version that I’d forgotten…well, a lot. PG was really something back in the day, actually meaning “parental guidance” as opposed to “100% safe for kids.”
Since Airplane! was rated PG, Stir Crazy would have been your first R-rated movie even if you saw it later.
Huh! All those years I thought that. Thanks for setting the record straight! Both you and lattethunder.
And Breaking Bad’s/Better Call Saul’s Jonathan Banks appears in both.
“Shoot to Kill” from 1988 is a good one. He plays an action lead facing off against Clancy Brown in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.
I love that Clancy Brown is known to an entire generation as the voice of Mr. Krabs instead of Byron Hadley.
Whatever role he’s playing I assume it’s The Kurgan in disguise.
RIP Mr. Poitier. “You take care. Ya hear?”
A Poitier movie that, apparently, only I love is “Little Nikita” from 1988
Here comes the week long earworm. Amen, AmenAmen, Amen, AmenSing it overAmen, AmenAmen, Amen, AmenSee the little babyAmen
Greetings from the Mandela-verse, where he’s been dead since 2006. Right after that Ashton Kutcher remake of Look Who’s Coming To Dinner.
I haven’t seen Stir Crazy in a long time but I remember loving it as a kid. Pryor and Wilder were an oddly perfect comedy team.
This article doesn’t mention the films that AV Club folks probably most remember him for – namely Sneakers and Shoot To Kill. Sidney Poitier and Kirstie Alley had some CHEMISTRIES.
An absolute force of nature and uncompromising pioneer who knew what he had to do and set about it, shouldering the weight of his responsibilities with grace and passion. Rest in well-deserved peace.
Vale, Sidney Portier.
We’re losing too many of the good ones lately — while Kissinger(!) remains alive and well….
A titan of his craft, a trailblazer, and a well-deserved icon. RIP.Though I can’t help but admit; the very first thing my mind flashed back to when I heard this news was not To Sir With Love, or In The Heat of the Night, or Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, or even Sneakers, but my very first (sort-of) exposure to him, in this form:
I must have seen the dance movie he directed, Fast Forward, like 50 times as a kid. It used to play on HBO all the time. I love that silly little movie. RIP.
Came across this a few weeks ago. Most of it really holds up. Terrific cast.
I always loved him in Shoot to Kill. Such a great actor and true legend.
The Defiant One