CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: Sidney Poitier’s Legacy
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This February, in celebration of Black History Month, we here at the Showplace are putting the spotlight on those who have inspired change and broken social barriers, both inside and outside of the entertainment industry.
Recently here at the Showplace, we began our look at one of the world’s greatest living actors / directors / activists … Sidney Poitier. Today, we continue to highlight his legendary career . . .
After a successful nine-year run in films in the ’50s, Poitier would close out the decade by breaking new ground in the 1959 production, A Raisin In The Sun. The play was unique in that it was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, as well as the first with a Black director.
According to NPR archives, writer Lorraine Hansberry noted that her play introduced details of an African American family’s life to the overwhelmingly white Broadway audiences, while director Lloyd Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of Black people were drawn. Frank Rich of “The New York Times” said that A Raisin in the Sun (for which Poitier earned a Tony Award for Best Actor) “changed American theater forever.”
Sydney would continue to look for roles that challenged racial issues throughout the 1960s.
In 1967 alone, Poitier starred in three film classics–all testing social boundaries and exploring race relations in America: To Sir With Love, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and In The Heat Of The Night (which also inspired two additional films based on the success of Poitier’s portrayal of Detective Tibbs).
Poitier received outstanding reviews in all three films and all three pictures received widespread acclaim from people of ALL races.
According to Mark Harris’s book, “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Birth of a New Hollywood,” Poitier was very much aware of his status as an actor breaking society’s limits in entertainment, but was conflicted on the matter. He wanted more varied roles. 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 that time. For instance, in 1966, he turned down an opportunity to play the lead in an NBC television production of Othello with that thought in mind.
His advocacy for social change went beyond plays and films. Among his non-production efforts in the 1960s, he joined Charlton Heston, Harry Belafonte and other celebrities for the March on Washington in 1963. He frequently spoke out and was very vocal in advocating for civil and economic rights for African Americans.
In the 1970s Poitier stepped out of the spotlight to an extent. While starring in less films than he had in the previous decade, he increased his presence behind the scenes. Among his successful big budget films as a director was Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor, which for many years was the highest-grossing film directed by a person of African descent.
Poitier accumulated best acting awards from various outlets and countries, including winning the Academy Award in 1964 for Lillies Of The Field. He has captured a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, multiple NAACP Image Awards and an Honorary Oscar – “for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.”
A complete listing of all of Poitier’s awards, accolades and expressions of gratitude for inspiring others would be too numerous to mention.
Poitier has occasionally starred in films over the last 30 years (later this month he will celebrate his 94th birthday). He is currently the oldest living actor to have received an Academy Award and is one of just a small handful of surviving members of the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Actors of the first 100 years of cinema. Among his non-film responsibilities in recent years is being Jamaica’s Official Ambassador to Japan, and a ten-year stint as a board member for The Walt Disney Company.
Poitier’s legacy both in front of and behind the camera cannot be overstated as his roles and performances continue to be an inspiration to people around the world.
You can see Sidney Poitier starring in classic films on RCN TV and check back to the Showplace all month long as we continue to feature people of color breaking barriers in the entertainment industry. To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.
