Sidney Poitier was one of the most groundbreaking actors in Hollywood. In the modern era, moviegoers can enjoy movies likeBlack PantherandJudas and the Black Messiah, but when Poitier began his career, Black actors did not receiveopportunities to be in leading roles, and they were locked into racist stereotypes that fed into the ideologies pushed by American cinema at the time. Poitier was the first Black actor to become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents, but it was for several good reasons. He was a talented and prolific actor, taking in stride every role, and he was diplomatic in his approach. His characters appealed to Black and white audiences, thus allowing more people to empathize with their struggle.
He began his career in the 1950 movieNo Way Out, where he portrayed a doctor assigned to white racist patients.No Way Outwas highly controversial when it came out, and it was evenbanned in Chicago. The fifties were a difficult time for Poitier, and he wasblacklistedfor being Black or supposedly being a communist. Poitier went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1963, as the Civil Rights Movement began to gain traction, for his movieLilies of the Field. It was fitting that Poitier’s movie appearances coincided with the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, as, for the first time, a single Black man brought a form of representation that was a step closer to progress. These are Poitier’s best movies.
Related:Sidney Poitier Dies, Legendary Oscar Winner Was 94
7To Sir, With Love
Poitier stars as Mark Thackeray inTo Sir, With Love,a British Guyanese immigrant who becomes a teacher while waiting to start his engineering career. This school is full of students considered difficult and this is why the school hired Thackeray; all the other teachers quit. He has no experience being a teacher and becomes frustrated with the students’ antics. But when he applies his brand of discipline via teaching respect, there’s hope for change. This is a movie that seems simple the first glance, but it goes deeper into issues about youth, acceptance, race, and coming-of-age in the sixties. Poitier would then also star in the sequel, which was released almost thirty years later.
6Blackboard Jungle
Blackboard Junglewas released twelve years beforeTo Sir, With Love, and it shows Poitier in a role opposite to the one he played inTo Sir, With Love. Glenn Ford portrays a teacher at an inner-city school, one where the students in the class all lack social etiquette and cause disturbances. His struggle to quit or stay is the biggest conflict, leading to a series of events that shakes the decision-making process. Poitier is one of the troubled students, although he is very musically talented. The issues inBlackboard Jungleare still very relevant today in education access and equity.
5Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinnerwas one of the very first films to depict interracial marriage positively, especially when it was still illegal in some states. After ten days of their initial meeting, Dr. John Prentice (Poitier) and Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton) are engaged, and she brings him home to meet her parents (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy). While her mother accepts the situation, her father is hesitant, and then another problem complicates the situation: they need to meet John’s parents too. The movie was a box-office hit and was Poitier’s third hit of that year (1967), although some criticized his character for being too perfect and hard to reject by anyone.
4The Defiant Ones
InThe Defiant Ones, two men, one white (Tony Curtis) and one Black (Sidney Poitier), are two prisoners who’ve escaped. There are just two problems involved: they’re shackled together and they hate each other. As the police begin to hunt them down, they must learn to cooperate, and, in the process, they might learn to like each other outside of the basis of skin color. Because viewers spend time with only these two men, the movie tracks a shift in their relationship and in their way of viewing the world in regards to race, thus making this a character-driven story. Released in 1958, this would be one of many collaborations between director Stanley Kramer (who also didGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner) and Poitier.
3Lilies of the Field
Lilies of the Fieldis a historically significant movie, not only because Sidney Poitier was the first Black man to win Best Actor at the Oscars, but because of how it came out at a critical time of American history. Poitier portrays Homer Smith, an unemployed ex-soldier moving to find work. As he stops in Arizona, he runs into a group of nuns that believes he’s been sent by God to help them build a chapel. Faith and trust are at the core of this movie, creating a pleasant watching experience. The movie was a hit and nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.
2A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking playA Raisin in the Sunwas adapted for the screen in 1961. A Black family is trying to improve their financial situation after the patriarch’s death, and they’re waiting for the life insurance to pay them. They dream of improving their lives, moving into a better neighborhood with a good home, investing, and potentially sending one of the kids to medical school. Housing discrimination and racism are some of the biggest problems the family faces while doing this. The film had positive feedback and was praised for its acting.
1In the Heat of Night
In the Heat of Nightis one of Poitier’s most famous films, particularly for one scene where he slaps a white police officer back. Poitier plays a homicide detective passing through a Georgia town when local police accuse him of murdering a rich man.In the Heat of Nighttakes a Southern town suspicious of any outsiders, especially if they’re not white. Despite these attitudes, a Black and white cop have to work together to solve the crime, despite them clashing constantly.
