Sidney Poitier

As an actor and director, Sidney Poitier broke down the color barriers of the mid-twentieth century American film industry. Possessing a dual citizenship in the United States and the Bahamas, he originally pursued a U.S. military career and served briefly in an army medical unit.After his discharge, Poitier auditioned for the American Negro Theater (ANT) but was rejected because of his Bahamian accent. During the following six months, Poitier practiced American pronunciations by listening to the accents of prominent radio voices before reapplying to ANT. This time, he was accepted and began studying acting while appearing in numerous minor productions.

His first role in a feature-length movie, "In Cold Blood" (1950), as the character Doctor Luther Brooks, provided a glimpse of his future role in the black performing arts; Poitier began a trend of defying traditional black stereotypes. Despite his success in the film industry, however, Poitier continued to perform on the live stage. His lead performance in Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" in particular brought him critical acclaim on the Broadway scene, and he later starred in the 1961 adoption of the play.

In 1963, he became the second black to receive an Academy Award, which he won for his role in "Lilies of the Field." He was the first actor, however, to insist that a certain percentage of black crew members be present for films on which he worked.

Poitier made his debut as a director in 1972 with "Buck and the Preacher," having founded the First Artists Production Company in 1969. Other films he directed include "Uptown Saturday Night" (1974), "Stir Crazy" (1980) and "Ghost Dad" (1990). Despite his directorial career, Poitier continued to act in both feature-length and made-for-television movies. In 2001, he was presented with an honorary Academy Award for "his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being."