Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first Black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. In 1999, he was ranked among the "American Film Institute's 100 Stars".
Poitier was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Poitier in 1968
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
Poitier at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, alongside actors Harry Belafonte and Charlton Heston
Poitier in 2000
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Actress winner.
The 2023 recipient: Cillian Murphy
Emil Jannings was the inaugural winner, for two films: The Last Command (1928) & The Way of All Flesh (1927).
Warner Baxter won for In Old Arizona (1928).
George Arliss won for Disraeli (1929).
