Sidney Poitier
Known for Acting · 104 credits
- Born
- 1927-02-20
- Died
- 2022-01-06
- Place of birth
- Miami, Florida, USA
- Also known as
- Sir Sidney Poitier · Сидней Пуатье · シドニー・ポワティエ
Biography
Sidney Poitier KBE (February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he became the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Lilies of the Field. Other accolades include two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Major films featuring Poitier in a starring role include Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Defiant Ones (1958), To Sir, with Love (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Sneakers (1992), and The Jackal (1997). Later in his career, he turned to directing with features such as Buck and the Preacher (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Stir Crazy (1980), and Ghost Dad (1990). At the time of his death, Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Known For
TV Shows (20)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self / Self - Taped Tribute
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee / Self - Presenter
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Presenter
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
The Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Tommy Tyler
Omnibus
1967
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Film '72
1971
as Self
Omnibus
1952
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957
as Self
Cinépanorama
1956
as Self
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978
as Self
ABC Stage 67
1966
as Self - Host
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
Hollywood Black
2024
as Self (archive footage)
Children of the Dust
1995
as Gypsy Smith
Kraft Television Theatre
1953
Separate but Equal
1991
as Thurgood Marshall
Movies (84)
Sneakers
1992
as Crease
The Jackal
1997
as Carter Preston
In the Heat of the Night
1967
as Virgil Tibbs
Nationtime: Gary
1972
as Self - Narrator
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as Simon of Cyrene
The Organization
1971
as Virgil Tibbs
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
1967
as John Prentice
The Resurrection of Christ
2026
To Sir, with Love
1967
as Mark Thackeray
Shoot to Kill
1988
as Warren Stantin
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
1970
as Virgil Tibbs
Paris Blues
1961
as Eddie Cook
The Wilby Conspiracy
1975
as Shack Twala
Night of 100 Stars II
1985
as Self
Blackboard Jungle
1955
as Gregory W. Miller
A Piece of the Action
1977
as Manny Durrell
A Patch of Blue
1965
as Gordon Ralfe
The Bedford Incident
1965
as Ben Munceford
To Sir, with Love II
1996
as Mark Thackeray
Good-bye, My Lady
1956
as Gates Watson
The Defiant Ones
1958
as Noah Cullen
Mr. SOUL!
2018
as Self (archive footage)
A Raisin in the Sun
1961
as Walter Lee Younger
Duel at Diablo
1966
as Toller
The Long Ships
1964
as Aly Mansuh
David and Lisa
1998
as Dr. Jack Miller
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
2003
as Self
The Red Ball Express
1952
as Robertson
Little Nikita
1988
as Roy Parmenter
Sing Your Song
2012
as Self
Sepia Cinderella
1947
as Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Lilies of the Field
1963
as Homer Smith
No Way Out
1950
as Luther Brooks
Three Young Americans in Search of Survival
1969
as Himself
Sidney
2022
as Self
Let's Do It Again
1975
as Clyde Williams
Buck and the Preacher
1972
as Buck
Separate but Equal
1991
as Thurgood Marshall
Paul Newman: The Restless
2023
as Self
Uptown Saturday Night
1974
as Steve Jackson
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
2000
The Slender Thread
1965
as Alan Newell
Mandela and de Klerk
1997
as Nelson Mandela
The Lost Man
1969
as Jason Higgs
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist
1979
as Narrator (voice)
Pressure Point
1962
as Doctor
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback
2023
as Self (archive footage)
Remembering Gene Wilder
2024
as Self (archive photos)
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project
2007
as Self
Free of Eden
1999
as Will Cleamons
For Love of Ivy
1968
as Jack Parks
Virgin Island
1959
as Marcus
Band of Angels
1957
as Rau-Ru
The Madding Crowd
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Something of Value
1957
as Kimani Wa Karanja
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
2013
as Self
I Love Quincy
1984
as Self
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970
as Self (archive footage)
Edge of the City
1957
as Tommy Tyler
A Warm December
1973
as Dr. Matt Younger
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
1986
as Self
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick
1995
as Self
All the Young Men
1960
as Sgt. Eddie Towler
The Mark of the Hawk
1957
as Obam
Porgy and Bess
1959
as Porgy
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
1955
as Tommy Tyler
Hollywood Legenden
2004
as Self
Cry, the Beloved Country
1951
as Reverend Msimangu
Richard Widmark: Strength of Characters
2000
as Self
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
1999
as Noah Dearborn
Poitier's Walter Lee
2018
as Self (archive footage)
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
1988
as Self - Audience Member
Brother John
1971
as John Kane
The Strolling '20s
1966
as Self
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
1998
as Reverend Msimangu (archive footage)
Afro Promo
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington
2013
as Self
The Last Brickmaker in America
2001
as Henry Cobb
A Star Without a Star: The Untold Juanita Moore Story
2022
as Self
Go Man Go
1954
as Inman Jackson
Quincy Jones: In the Pocket
2001
as Self
Sidney Poitier - The Man Who Changed Hollywood
2023
as Self (archive footage)
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
2017
as Self
A Cinderella Named Elizabeth
1965
as Self
About Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier KBE (February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he became the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Lilies of the Field. Other accolades include two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Major films featuring Poitier in a starring role include Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Defiant Ones (1958), To Sir, with… With 104 credits spanning from 1944 to 2026, Sidney Poitier has appeared in 84 films and 20 TV shows.
Fans searching for Sidney Poitier movies, Sidney Poitier filmography, or the latest projects starring Sidney Poitier can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Sidney Poitier Movies
- Sneakers (1992) — as Crease
- The Jackal (1997) — as Carter Preston
- In the Heat of the Night (1967) — as Virgil Tibbs
- Nationtime: Gary (1972) — as Self - Narrator
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) — as Simon of Cyrene
Where to Watch Sidney Poitier Films
Most Sidney Poitier movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Sidney Poitier, check our movies catalogue and browse page.