Editing Sidney Poitier (section)

==Career==
===1947–1957: Early work and blacklist===
Poitier joined the American Negro Theater but was rejected by audiences. Contrary to what was expected of negro actors at the time, Poitier's [[tone deafness]] made him unable to sing.<ref>Missourian; ''Sidney Poitier''; pp. 69, 133.</ref> 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. He modeled his legendary speech pattern after radio personality [[Norman Brokenshire]]. On his second attempt at the theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of ''[[Lysistrata]]'', through which, though it ran a failing four days, he received an invitation to understudy for ''[[Anna Lucasta (play)|Anna Lucasta]]''. Poitier would later befriend [[Harry Belafonte]] at the American Negro Theater.<ref>{{cite book|last=Poitier|first=Sidney|title=The Measure of a Man|url=https://archive.org/details/measureofmanspir00poit_0|url-access=registration|date=2000|publisher=Harper|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-06-135790-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/measureofmanspir00poit_0/page/59 59–60]|edition=First}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/06/26/harry-belafonte|title=How the American Negro Theatre Shaped the Career of the Iconic Harry Belafonte|website=The New York Public Library}}</ref>

In 1947, Poitier was a founding member of the Committee for the Negro in the Arts (CNA),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Buckner |first1=Jocelyn |chapter=Sidney Poitier |title=The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Actors and Acting |editor-first=Simon |editor-last=Williams |date=2015 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge, UK |page=456 |url=https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=theatre_books |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108054127/https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=theatre_books |url-status=live }}</ref> an organization whose participants were committed to a left-wing analysis of class and racial exploitation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Judith E |title=Finding a New Home in Harlem: Alice Childress and the Committee for the Negro in the Arts |url=https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=amst_faculty_pubs |website=ScholarWorks |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Boston]] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303033702/https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=amst_faculty_pubs |url-status=live }}</ref> Among his other CNA-related activities, in the early 1950s he was a Vice Chair of the organization.<ref>{{cite book | last = Washington | first = Mary | title = The other blacklist : the African American literary and cultural left of the 1950s | publisher = Columbia University Press | location = New York New York | year = 2014 | isbn = 978-0231526470 | oclc = 1088439510}}</ref> In 1952, he was one of several narrators in a pageant written by [[Alice Childress]] and [[Lorraine Hansberry]] for the Negro History Festival put on by the leftist Harlem monthly newspaper ''[[Freedom (American newspaper)|Freedom]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last = Perry | first = Imani | title = Looking for Lorraine : the radiant and radical life of Lorraine Hansberry | publisher = Beacon Press | location = Boston, Massachusetts | year = 2018 | isbn = 978-0807039830|oclc=1080274303 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QtdGDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Negro%20History%20Festival%22%201952%20belafonte%20poitier&pg=PT81 |access-date=November 17, 2020}}</ref>

His participation in such events and CNA generally, along with his friendships with other leftist Black performers, including [[Canada Lee]] and [[Paul Robeson]], led to his subsequent [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklisting]] for a few years.<ref>{{cite book|first=Aram|last= Goudsouzian|title=Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon|url=https://archive.org/details/sidneypoitierman00goud|url-access=registration|editor=|year=2004|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-8078-2843-4| oclc=899204579|access-date = January 29, 2022 }}</ref> Even associating with Poitier added to the basis for blacklisting Alfred Palca, the writer and producer of one of Poitier's earliest films, the 1954 ''[[Go Man Go (film)|Go Man Go]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first= Bruce |last= Weber |title= Four Decades After He Was Blacklisted, A Writer-Producer Finally Gets Credit |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/20/nyregion/four-decades-after-he-was-blacklisted-a-writer-producer-finally-gets-credit.html |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= August 20, 1997 |access-date= April 19, 2022 |archive-date= February 10, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220210145344/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/20/nyregion/four-decades-after-he-was-blacklisted-a-writer-producer-finally-gets-credit.html |url-status= live }}</ref> Poitier never did sign a [[Loyalty oath#Roosevelt/Truman era|loyalty oath]], despite being asked in connection with his prospective role in ''[[Blackboard Jungle]]'' (1955).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Trescott |first1=Jacqueline |title=The Prime Time of Sidney Poitier |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1991/04/07/the-prime-time-of-sidney-poitier/6a61cc0e-53d4-4755-bbb1-dfb9a997c3c1/ |access-date=January 29, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=April 7, 1991 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210144834/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1991/04/07/the-prime-time-of-sidney-poitier/6a61cc0e-53d4-4755-bbb1-dfb9a997c3c1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:A Raisin in the Sun 1959 2.JPG|thumb|A scene from the play ''[[A Raisin in the Sun]]'' in 1959, with (from left) [[Louis Gossett Jr.]] as George Murchison, [[Ruby Dee]] as Ruth Younger, and Poitier as Walter Younger]]

By late 1949, Poitier had to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for [[Darryl F. Zanuck]] in the film ''[[No Way Out (1950 film)|No Way Out]]'' (1950).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85174/no-way-out/#overview|title=No Way Out|publisher=TCM|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107182245/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85174/no-way-out/#overview|url-status=live}}</ref> His performance in ''No Way Out'', as a doctor treating a white bigot (played by [[Richard Widmark]], who became a friend), was noticed and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and more prominent than those most African-American actors of the time were offered.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/no-way-out/|title='No Way Out' and the Best of "Social Message" Film Noir|date=November 21, 2021|publisher=Film School Rejects|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=December 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230000218/https://filmschoolrejects.com/no-way-out/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1951, he traveled to South Africa with the African-American actor Canada Lee to star in the film version of ''[[Cry, the Beloved Country (1951 film)|Cry, the Beloved Country]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/radical-history-review/article-abstract/2014/119/72/22226/Crossing-the-Black-AtlanticThe-Global|title=Crossing the Black Atlantic: The Global Antiapartheid Movement and the Racial Politics of the Cold War|first=Nicholas|last=Grant|date=January 1, 2014|journal=[[Radical History Review]]|volume=2014|issue=119|pages=72–93|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|doi=10.1215/01636545-2401951|access-date=March 23, 2018|archive-date=July 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701165221/https://read.dukeupress.edu/radical-history-review/article-abstract/2014/119/72/22226/Crossing-the-Black-AtlanticThe-Global|url-status=live}}</ref> Poitier's distinction continued in his role as Gregory W. Miller, a member of an incorrigible high-school class in ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/10-essential-sidney-poitier-movies-153514946.html|title=10 Essential Sidney Poitier Movies, From 'Blackboard Jungle' to 'To Sir, With Love' (Photos)|first=Thom|last=Geier|date=January 7, 2022|publisher=Yahoo|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107160550/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/10-essential-sidney-poitier-movies-153514946.html|url-status=live}}</ref> But it was his performance in [[Martin Ritt]]'s 1957 film ''[[Edge of the City]]'' that the industry could not ignore. It was a pitch towards stardom granted him.

Poitier enjoyed working for director [[William Wellman]] on ''[[Good-bye, My Lady (film)|Good-bye, My Lady]]'' (1956).<ref name=wellman /> Wellman was a big name, he had previously directed the famous ''[[Roxie Hart (film)|Roxie Hart]]'' (1942) with [[Ginger Rogers]] and ''[[Magic Town]]'' (1947) with [[James Stewart]].<ref name=wellman /> What Poitier remembered indelibly was the wonderful humanity in this talented director. Wellman had a sensitivity that Poitier thought was profound, which Wellman felt he needed to hide."<ref name=wellman>{{cite book|last=Powers|first=Philip|author-link=Philip Powers|title=Sidney Poitier Black and White: Sidney Poitier's Emergence in the 1960s as a Black Icon|date=2020|publisher=1M1 Digital|location=Sydney|isbn=979-8-56-763871-2|page=102|edition=First}}</ref> Poitier later praised Wellman for inspiring his thoughtful approach to directing when he found himself taking the helm from Joseph Sargent on ''[[Buck and the Preacher]]'' in 1971.<ref name=wellman /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/29/archives/poitier-directs-buck-and-the-preacher.html|title=Poitier Directs 'Buck and the Preacher'|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 29, 1972|access-date=January 7, 2022|last1=Canby|first1=Vincent|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107173606/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/29/archives/poitier-directs-buck-and-the-preacher.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1958–1969: Breakthrough and stardom ===
In 1958 he starred alongside [[Tony Curtis]] in director [[Stanley Kramer]]'s ''[[The Defiant Ones]]''.<ref name=stream>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/sidney-poitier-best-movies-streaming-online/|title=Sidney Poitier's Best Films: 13 Movies Now Streaming Online|first=Zack|last=Sharf|date=January 7, 2022|website=Variety|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107172300/https://variety.com/lists/sidney-poitier-best-movies-streaming-online/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was a critical and commercial success with the performances of both Poitier and Curtis being praised.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Thompson|first=Bosley Crowtherhoward|date=September 25, 1958|title=Screen: A Forceful Social Drama; ' The Defiant Ones' Has Debut at Victoria|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/09/25/archives/screen-a-forceful-social-drama-the-defiant-ones-has-debut-at.html|access-date=March 21, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=January 1, 1958|title=The Defiant Ones|url=https://variety.com/1957/film/reviews/the-defiant-ones-1200419029/|access-date=March 21, 2022|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> The film landed eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor nominations for both stars, making Poitier the first African-American actor to be nominated in a lead role.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/sidney-poitier-dead-at-94.html|title=Sidney Poitier, Trailblazing Oscar Winner and Activist, Dead at 94|first=Rebecca|last=Alter|date=January 7, 2022|publisher=Vulture|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107160236/https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/sidney-poitier-dead-at-94.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Poitier did win the [[12th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]] for Best Foreign Actor.<ref name="BAFTAs" />

Poitier acted in the first production of ''[[A Raisin in the Sun]]'' alongside [[Ruby Dee]] on the Broadway stage at the [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]] in 1959. The play was directed by [[Lloyd Richards]]. The play introduced details of Black life to the overwhelmingly White Broadway audiences, while director Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of Black people were drawn.<ref name=Corley>{{Cite news|title=A Raisin In the Sun|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1139728|access-date=March 21, 2022}}</ref> The play was a groundbreaking piece of American theater with [[Frank Rich]], critic from ''[[The New York Times]]'' writing in 1983, that ''A Raisin in the Sun'' "changed American theater forever".<ref>{{cite news |last=Rich |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Rich |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/05/theater/theater-raisin-in-sun-anniversary-in-chicago.html |title=Theater: 'Raisin in Sun,' Anniversary in Chicago |work=The New York Times |date=October 5, 1983 |access-date=March 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621150419/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/05/theater/theater-raisin-in-sun-anniversary-in-chicago.html |archive-date=June 21, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> For his performance he earned a [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] nomination. That same year Poitier would star in the film adaptation of ''[[Porgy and Bess (film)|Porgy and Bess]]'' (1959) alongside [[Dorothy Dandridge]]. For his performance, Poitier received a 1960 [[Golden Globe Award]] nomination for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/porgy-and-bess|title=Porgy and Bess|access-date=January 7, 2022|publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111183904/https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/porgy-and-bess|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Poitier Belafonte Heston Civil Rights March 1963.jpg|thumb|Poitier (left) at the 1963 [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]], alongside actors [[Harry Belafonte]] and [[Charlton Heston]]]]
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#F3F0FD |salign=right| quote = If the fabric of the society were different, I would scream to high heaven to play villains and to deal with different images of Negro life that would be more dimensional . . . But I'll be damned if I do that at this stage of the game. Not when there is only one Negro actor working in films with any degree of consistency . . . |source= Sidney Poitier (1967)<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McGreevy |first=Nora |date=January 7, 2022 |title=How Sidney Poitier Rewrote the Script for Black Actors in Hollywood |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-sidney-poitier-rewrote-the-script-for-black-actors-in-hollywood-180979333/ |magazine=[[Smithsonian Magazine]] |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108205154/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-sidney-poitier-rewrote-the-script-for-black-actors-in-hollywood-180979333/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|align=right| width=250px}}

In 1961, Poitier starred in the film adaptation of ''[[A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)|A Raisin in the Sun]]'' for which he received another Golden Globe Award nomination.<ref name=gga>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/sidney-poitier|title=Sidney Poitier|publisher=Golden Globes|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107161732/https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/sidney-poitier|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 1961, Poitier starred in ''[[Paris Blues]]'' alongside [[Paul Newman]], [[Joanne Woodward]], [[Louis Armstrong]], and [[Diahann Carroll]].<ref name=paris>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16151/paris-blues/#overview|title=Paris Blues|access-date=January 7, 2022|publisher=TMC|archive-date=December 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222131209/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16151/paris-blues/#overview|url-status=live}}</ref> The film dealt with the [[Racism in the United States|American racism]] of the time by contrasting it with Paris's open acceptance of [[Black people]].<ref name=paris /> In 1963 he starred in ''[[Lilies of the Field (1963 film)|Lilies of the Field]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81430/lilies-of-the-field#overview|title=Lilies of the Field|publisher=TCM|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108225658/https://admin.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81430/lilies-of-the-field#overview|url-status=live}}</ref> For this role, he won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] and became the first African-American to win the award in a leading role.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Culture/sidney-poitier-1st-black-man-win-best-actor/story?id=41432549|title=Sidney Poitier, 1st Black man to win best actor Oscar, dies at 94|first=Luchina|last=Fisher|date=January 7, 2022|publisher=ABC News|access-date=April 17, 2022|archive-date=April 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417152526/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Culture/sidney-poitier-1st-black-man-win-best-actor/story?id=41432549|url-status=live}}</ref> His satisfaction at this honor was undermined by his concerns that this award was more of the industry congratulating itself for having him as a token and it would inhibit him from asking for more substantive considerations afterward.<ref>{{cite book|last=Harris|first=Mark|title=Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Birth of a New Hollywood|url=https://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0|url-access=registration|year=2008|publisher=Penguin Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0/page/58 58–9]|isbn=978-1-59420-152-3}}</ref> Poitier worked relatively little over the following year; he remained the only major actor of African descent and the roles offered were predominantly typecast as a soft-spoken appeaser.<ref>Harris 2008, pp. 81–2.</ref>

In 1964, Poitier recorded an album with the composer [[Fred Katz (cellist)|Fred Katz]] called ''[[Poitier Meets Plato]]'', in which Poitier recites passages from [[Plato]]'s writings.<ref>Goudsouzian, Aram, ''Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon'', The University of North Carolina Press, 2004, p. 395.</ref> He also performed in the Cold War drama ''[[The Bedford Incident]]'' (1965) alongside the film's producer Richard Widmark, the Biblical epic film ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965) alongside [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Max von Sydow]], and ''[[A Patch of Blue]]'' (1965) co-starring [[Elizabeth Hartman]] and [[Shelley Winters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/21990/the-bedford-incident/#overview|title=The Bedford Incident (1965)|publisher=TMC|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107184114/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/21990/the-bedford-incident/#overview|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3656/the-greatest-story-ever-told#overview|title=The Greatest Story Ever Told|publisher=TMC|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107173841/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3656/the-greatest-story-ever-told#overview|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1040/a-patch-of-blue#overview|title=A Patch of Blue|access-date=January 7, 2022|publisher=TMC|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108235513/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1040/a-patch-of-blue#overview|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1967, he was the most successful draw at the box office, the commercial peak of his career, with three popular films, ''[[To Sir, with Love]]'', and ''[[In the Heat of the Night (film)]]'', and ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/07/311902059/sidney-poitier-obituary|title=Sir, we loved you: Sidney Poitier dies at 94|last=Watson|first=Walter Ray|work=[[Morning Edition]]|publisher=NPR|date=January 7, 2022|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107161039/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/07/311902059/sidney-poitier-obituary|url-status=live}}</ref> Although these three films seemingly shared little similarity, they all, albeit not overtly, dealt with the black and white divide.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Powers |first1=Philip |title=Sidney Poitier Black and White: Sidney Poitier's Emergence in the 1960s as a Black Icon |date=December 31, 2020 |publisher=1M1 Digital Pty Ltd |page=77 |asin-tld=au |asin=B08RCJDV8D}}</ref> In ''To Sir, with Love'', Poitier plays a teacher at a secondary school in the [[East End of London]]. The film deals with social and racial issues in the inner city school. The film was met with mixed response; however, Poitier was praised for his performance, with the critic from ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' writing, "Even the weak moments are saved by Poitier, who invests his role with a subtle warmth."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,837070,00.html|title=Cinema: Class War|magazine=Time|date=June 30, 1967|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107162242/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,837070,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Norman Jewison]]'s mystery drama ''In the Heat of the Night'', Poitier played [[Virgil Tibbs]], a police detective from [[Philadelphia]] who investigates a murder in the [[Deep South]] in Mississippi alongside a cop with racial prejudices played by [[Rod Steiger]]. The film was a critical success with [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''The New York Times'' calling it "the most powerful film I have seen in a long time."<ref name=open>{{cite magazine|title='Heat of Night' Scores With Crix; Quick B.O. Pace|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=August 9, 1967|page=3}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] placed it at number ten on his top ten list of 1967 films.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707145722/http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/eberts-10-best-lists-1967-present|date=December 15, 2004|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/eberts-10-best-lists-1967-present|archive-date=July 7, 2013|title= Ebert's 10 Best Lists: 1967 to Present|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-best-10-movies-of-1967|title=The Best 10 Movies of 1967|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=December 31, 1967|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=October 18, 2016|archive-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825215224/http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-best-10-movies-of-1967|url-status=live}}</ref> Art Murphy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' felt that the excellent Poitier and outstanding Steiger performances overcame noteworthy flaws, including an uneven script.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/in-the-heat-of-the-night-1200421432/|date=June 21, 1967|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=In The Heat Of The Night|last=Murphy|first=A.D.|access-date=April 19, 2022|archive-date=January 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113021433/https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/in-the-heat-of-the-night-1200421432/|url-status=live}}</ref> Poitier received a Golden Globe Award and [[British Academy Film Award]] nomination for his performance.<ref name="BAFTAs">{{cite news |title=Sidney Poitier's BAFTA wins and nominations |url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=Sidney%20Poitier |access-date=January 7, 2022 |agency=BAFTA.org |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107165417/http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=Sidney%20Poitier |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Stanley Kramer's social drama ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'', Poitier played a man in a relationship with a White woman played by [[Katharine Houghton]]. The film revolves around her bringing him to meet with her parents played by [[Katharine Hepburn]] and [[Spencer Tracy]]. The film was one of the rare films at the time to depict an interracial romance in a positive light, as [[interracial marriage]] historically had been illegal in most states of the United States. It was still illegal in 17 states—mostly Southern states—until June 12, 1967, six months before the film was released. The film was a critical and financial success. In his film review, Roger Ebert described Poitier's character as "a noble, rich, intelligent, handsome, ethical medical expert" and that the film "is a magnificent piece of entertainment. It will make you laugh and may even make you cry."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-1968|title=Guess Who's Coming to Dinner|website=[[RogerEbert.com]]|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=January 25, 1968|access-date=February 21, 2021|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206033205/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-1968|url-status=live}}</ref> To win his role as Dr. Prentice in the film, Poitier had to audition for Tracy and Hepburn at two separate dinner parties.<ref>Powers, Philip, "Sidney Poitier Black and White", 1M1 Digital, Sydney, 2020, p.210</ref>

Poitier began to be criticized for being typecast as over-idealized African-American 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 he also felt obliged to set an example with his characters, by challenging old stereotypes, as he was the only major actor of African descent being cast in leading roles in the American film industry at the time. For instance, in 1966, he turned down an opportunity to play the lead in an NBC television production of ''[[Othello]]'' with that spirit in mind.<ref>Harris 2008, p. 161.</ref> Despite this, many of the films in which Poitier starred during the 1960s would later be cited as [[social thriller]]s by both filmmakers and critics.<ref name="Bleiler, 2013">{{cite book|last1=Bleiler|first1=David|title=TLA Film and Video Guide 2000–2001: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide|date=2013|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4668-5940-1}}</ref><ref name="Maltin, 2008">{{cite book|last1=Maltin|first1=Leonard|author1-link=Leonard Maltin|last2=Sader|first2=Luke|last3=Clark|first3=Mike|title=Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide|date=2008|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-452-28978-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780452289789/page/681 681]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780452289789/page/681}}</ref><ref name="Thompson, 2004">{{cite journal |last1=Thompson |first1=Bennie G. |title=Etension of Remarks: A Tribute to Ms. Beulah "Beah" Richards |journal=Congressional Record |date=March 10, 2004 |volume=150 |issue=3 |page=2872 |publisher=Government Printing Office }}</ref><ref name="Ebiri, 2017">{{cite news|last1=Ebiri|first1=Bilge|author-link=Bilge Ebiri|title=Get Out's Jordan Peele Brings the 'Social Thriller' to BAM|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/02/14/get-outs-jordan-peele-brings-the-social-thriller-to-bam/|access-date=August 1, 2017|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|date=February 14, 2017|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108211916/https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/02/14/get-outs-jordan-peele-brings-the-social-thriller-to-bam/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1970–1989: Transition to directing ===
''In the Heat of the Night'' featured his most successful character, Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, detective whose subsequent career was the subject of two sequels: ''[[They Call Me Mister Tibbs!]]'' (1970) and ''[[The Organization (film)|The Organization]]'' (1971).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://greensboro.com/sidney-poitiers-tibbs-trilogy-out-on-dvd/article_ba3cc2ed-5ca3-503a-88e4-fe1ab969e42f.html|title=Sidney Poitier's "Tibbs Trilogy" Out On DVD|author=Nye, Doug|date=January 18, 2001|access-date=January 7, 2022|newspaper=Greensboro News|publisher=Knight Ridder|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107173703/https://greensboro.com/sidney-poitiers-tibbs-trilogy-out-on-dvd/article_ba3cc2ed-5ca3-503a-88e4-fe1ab969e42f.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1972, he made his feature film directorial debut, the [[Western (genre)|Western]] ''Buck and the Preacher'', in which Poitier also starred, alongside [[Harry Belafonte]] and Ruby Dee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4470/buck-and-the-preacher#overview|title=Buck and the Preacher|access-date=January 7, 2022|publisher=TMC|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107180429/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4470/buck-and-the-preacher#overview|url-status=live}}</ref> Poitier replaced the original director, [[Joseph Sargent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/54565|title=Buck and the Preacher|access-date=January 7, 2022|publisher=AFI|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107174927/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/54565|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year he directed his second feature, the romantic drama ''[[A Warm December]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95108/a-warm-december#overview|title=A Warm December|publisher=TMC|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107174929/https://prod-www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95108/a-warm-december#overview|url-status=live}}</ref> Poitier also starred in the film alongside [[Esther Anderson (Jamaican actress)|Esther Anderson]].

Along with [[Barbra Streisand]] and [[Paul Newman]], Poitier formed [[First Artists Production Company]] so actors could secure properties and develop movie projects for themselves.<ref name="new">{{cite news|newspaper=New York Times|title=First Artists Star-Crossed Child of the 1960s|first=Pamela G.|last= Hollie|date=December 23, 1979|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/23/archives/first-artistsstarcrossed-child-of-the-1960s-at-a-glance-first.html|page=F3}}</ref> Working with First Artists, Poitier directed several financially successful comedy films, including three in which he also starred: ''[[Uptown Saturday Night]]'' (1974) with [[Bill Cosby]] and Harry Belafonte; and ''[[Let's Do It Again (1975 film)|Let's Do It Again]]'' (1975) and ''[[A Piece of the Action (film)|A Piece of the Action]]'' (1977), both with Cosby.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blackclassicmovies.com/uptown-saturday-night/|title=Uptown Saturday Night|work=Black Classic Movies |access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107174934/https://www.blackclassicmovies.com/uptown-saturday-night/|url-status=live}}</ref> His most successful comedy was ''[[Stir Crazy (film)|Stir Crazy]]'' (1980; not a First Artists production), starring [[Richard Pryor]] and [[Gene Wilder]], which for many years was the highest-grossing film directed by a person of African descent.<ref name="test">{{cite magazine|author=George Alexander|magazine=[[Black Enterprise]]|title=Fade to Black: Black filmmakers make the most profitable movies, but still fight for dollars and respect|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA107|date=December 2000|page=107|access-date=February 27, 2016|archive-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820005727/https://books.google.com/books?id=W2UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA107|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Sidney Poitier.jpg|thumb|upright|Poitier in 2000]]
In 1985, he directed ''[[Fast Forward (film)|Fast Forward]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/15/movies/film-fast-forward-by-poitier.html|title=FILM: FAST FORWARD,' BY POITIER|work=The New York Times|first=Vincent|last=Canby|date=February 15, 1985|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107174943/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/15/movies/film-fast-forward-by-poitier.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and, in 1990, he reunited with Cosby directing him in the family comedy ''[[Ghost Dad]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/trending/Report-Sidney-Poitier-disgusted-with-Bill-Cosby-over-sexual-assault-allegations.html|title=Report: Sidney Poitier 'disgusted' with Bill Cosby over sexual assault allegations|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|first=Nick|last=Vadala|date=February 4, 2015|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107174948/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/trending/Report-Sidney-Poitier-disgusted-with-Bill-Cosby-over-sexual-assault-allegations.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1988, he starred in ''[[Shoot to Kill (1988 film)|Shoot to Kill]]'' with [[Tom Berenger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shoot-to-kill-1988|title=Shoot to Kill Review|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|website=RogerEbert.com|date=February 12, 1988|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107175739/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shoot-to-kill-1988|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1990–2022: Later work ===
In 1992, he starred in ''[[Sneakers (1992 film)|Sneakers]]'' with [[Robert Redford]] and [[Dan Aykroyd]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Sneakers: Robert Redford and River Phoenix nerd out in 1992's prescient, high-tech caper|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/dec/20/sneakers-robert-redford-and-river-phoenix-nerd-out-in-1992s-prescient-high-tech-caper|date=December 19, 2021|author=Cryer, Vanessa|access-date=January 7, 2022|newspaper=The Guardian|archive-date=January 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106205159/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/dec/20/sneakers-robert-redford-and-river-phoenix-nerd-out-in-1992s-prescient-high-tech-caper|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1997, he co-starred in ''[[The Jackal (1997 film)|The Jackal]]'' with [[Richard Gere]] and [[Bruce Willis]].<ref name=varietyobit>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/obituaries-people-news/sidney-poitier-dead-dies-oscar-winner-1235148871/|title=Sidney Poitier, Oscar Winner Who Helped Tear Down Racial Barriers, Dies at 94|first=Rick|last=Schulz|website=Variety|date=January 7, 2022|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107155528/https://variety.com/2022/film/obituaries-people-news/sidney-poitier-dead-dies-oscar-winner-1235148871/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 1990s, he starred in several well received television movies and miniseries such as ''[[Separate but Equal (film)|Separate but Equal]]'' (1991), ''[[To Sir, with Love II]]'' (1996), ''[[Mandela and de Klerk]]'' (1997), and ''[[The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn]]'' (1999).<ref name=varietyobit /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/the-simple-life-of-noah-dearborn-1117499723/|title=The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn|website=Variety|date=May 7, 1999|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107175728/https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/the-simple-life-of-noah-dearborn-1117499723/|url-status=live}}</ref> He received [[Emmy Awards|Emmy]] nominations for his work in ''Separate but Equal'' and ''Mandela and de Klerk'', as well as a [[Golden Globe]] nomination for the former.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/sidney-poitier|title=Sidney Poitier|publisher=Television Academy|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107154536/https://www.emmys.com/bios/sidney-poitier|url-status=live}}</ref> He won a [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album]] in 2001.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url= https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/sidney-poitier/5419|title= Sidney Poitier – Artist|website= grammys.com|date= November 23, 2020|access-date= February 20, 2021|archive-date= January 25, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210125225121/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/sidney-poitier/5419|url-status= live}}</ref>

In 2002, Poitier received the 2001 [[Honorary Academy Award]] for his overall contribution to American cinema.<ref name=varietyobit /> Later in the ceremony, [[Denzel Washington]] won the award for Best Actor for his performance in ''[[Training Day]]'', becoming the second Black actor to win the award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/sidney-poitier-first-black-actor-win-best-actor-academy-award-dies-94-bahamian-2022-01-07/|first=Katharine|last=Jackson|title=Sidney Poitier, first Black actor to win best actor Academy Award, dies at 94 -Bahamian official|work=Reuters|date=January 7, 2022|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107154233/https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/sidney-poitier-first-black-actor-win-best-actor-academy-award-dies-94-bahamian-2022-01-07/|url-status=live}}</ref> In his victory speech, Washington saluted Poitier by saying "I'll always be chasing you, Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps. There's nothing I would rather do, sir."<ref>O'Neil, Tom (New York, 2003), "Movie Awards: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars. Golden Globes, Critics, Guild and Indi Honors", Berkley Publishing Group, p. 761.</ref>

With the death of [[Ernest Borgnine]] in 2012, Poitier became the oldest living recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor.<ref name=cbs>{{cite web|title=Ernest Borgnine's death makes Sidney Poitier the oldest living best actor Oscar winner|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ernest-borgnines-death-makes-sidney-poitier-the-oldest-living-best-actor-oscar-winner/|work=Celebrity Circuit|publisher=CBS News|access-date=July 27, 2012|first=Lauren|last=Moraski|date=July 10, 2012|archive-date=July 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716053147/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57469520-10391698/ernest-borgnines-death-makes-sidney-poitier-the-oldest-living-best-actor-oscar-winner/|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 2, 2014, Poitier appeared with [[Angelina Jolie]] at the [[86th Academy Awards]] to present the [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director Award]].<ref name=fortune>{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2022/01/07/hollywood-actor-oscar-winner-sidney-poitier-obit/|title=Beloved Hollywood actor Sidney Poitier dies at 94|website=Fortune|first=Felix|last=Kessler|date=January 7, 2022|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107173705/https://fortune.com/2022/01/07/hollywood-actor-oscar-winner-sidney-poitier-obit/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was given a standing ovation and Jolie thanked him for all his Hollywood contributions, stating: "We are in your debt."<ref name=fortune /> Poitier gave a brief speech, telling his peers to "keep up the wonderful work" to warm applause.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stolworthy |first1=Jacob |title=Sidney Poitier death: First Black man to win Best Actor Oscar dies aged 94 |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/sidney-poitier-death-first-black-151301654.html |access-date=January 7, 2022 |work=Yahoo News |date=January 7, 2022 |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107155149/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/sidney-poitier-death-first-black-151301654.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, the academy dedicated the lobby of the new [[Academy Museum of Motion Pictures]] in Los Angeles as the "Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby" in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/academy-museum-dedicates-grand-lobby-to-sidney-poitier-1235005229/|title=Academy Museum Dedicates Grand Lobby to Sidney Poitier|first=Scott|last=Feinberg|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 30, 2021|access-date=January 7, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107180017/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/academy-museum-dedicates-grand-lobby-to-sidney-poitier-1235005229/|url-status=live}}</ref> Poitier was a lifelong activist for racial and social justice. He declined film roles he considered based on offensive racial stereotypes.<ref name="nbcsandiego" />