What African-American performer became the first to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964?

yes have watched everything Sidney made. awesome actor

Mr. Poitier broke the stereotype roles given to black men of being ignorant or slaves and chose roles that expressed pride and dignity. I love him for that.💝

ok wish i could throw a pic of my Dad in here he looks just like Sir Sidney. 1. I was truly Blessed to meet Sir Poitier in the early 2000's late 90's at a book signing completley by accident/God's Grace and with two of my theatre bros we waited the whole line to purposefully be the last 3 he saw. After my homies hit him with allot of acting queries.... i asked but 1 question " Sir....how did u make it at a time when we werent really making it especially as a young Black male" ....he sat back looked keen into me and spoke through a room of silence " Well you know that is a really good question........i will say this...".( he fiercely and powerfully spoke ) "The Winds of change come swift & sudden you must have your bags packed & be ready to go" "friends & family will come again not this moment"

He was knighted too? The man is a beast. I'm not saying people shouldn't be proud of being black, but you should be more proud of individual accomplishments, not group identity.

I seen "To Sir With Love" and "In the Heat of the Night". "THEY CALL ME MISTER TIBBS" is one of the most memorable quotes in movie history.

One of my favorite actor. I love his accent

Words cannot express my love and respect for this amazing man.

Guiltyofbeingwhite, poor me? black Americans? this was a time when blacks and whites cant use the bathroom or drink out of a fountain that does not have instructions of race, wtf we all human beings, please just grow up and deal with your daddy issues cause he probably trained you too be the ones of hate, I'm black and white and when something nice happens and is great people like you brings them down, scum

I love Mr. Poitier. Every movie he acted in was made with Grace and dignity. A Patch of Blue helped me to understand that my feelings about the racial differences we're right. The prejudices prevalent at the time we're so unjust. We all have to learn to see, hear, and feel with our heart and soul. Then maybe, just maybe we will know we are one. That is my one wish for mankind.

Wow...he was also a "Sir"?! I thought only British citizens could use that title. That's wonderful that the Brits recognized what an extraordinary human being he was!

Remembering back on some of his old movies, A Patch of Blue was a very good movie. I remember watching it on tv with my mother in 1965. She (my mother) died in 1966, I have never forgotten the movie because that was one of the last things we were able to do together.

I remember him when I was a little boy and saw Lilies of the field. Just a terrific actor and director, unforgettable.

I still cry at the end of "to sir with love" happy ending.

I don't know why people want to catorgize color in a human being, black people are not African Americans, we did not , and was not born there, so don't display me as who I am , recognize . or what you want to call me, I am black and I am proud. visualize "" analyze

I WAS CRAZY ABOUT HIM !HIS MOVIES SHOWED SO MUCH SENSITIVITY TO PEOPLE. I ESPECIALLY LIKED TO SIR WITH LOVE, AND LILIES OF THE FIELD. I WAS SO GLAD WHEN HE GOT THE OSCAR.

He was NOT from Bahamas! He was from JAMAICA. Saint Anne to be precise, a tiny village where they would "kill the cow" every Sunday. Anyone who wanted fresh meat could get some, because no one had ice or a refrigerator to store it.

Lilies of the field was a wonderful movie.

I always will love sir Sidney Poitier for his rolls of his films, To Sir with Love, and Lilies of the Field. he's a remarkable wonderful person, and awesome director and actor, and I got emotional when he passed on the way. May sir Sydney Poitier rest in peace.

Player #14336962, For Mammy in Gone with the Wind. And she was seated in the back at the Oscars.

meatpocket86, best Supporting actress. But I think she was better than Vivien Leigh (Scarlet).

Uninitialized, IMHO, Sydney is prettier.

MarieGrace, I'm a white girl too. In '68 or '69 when I dated a black guy, my parents had him pick me up once and after that told me to find a way to meet with him away from our neighbors. My parents were cool but our bigoted neighbors were bugging my parents about it 3-4 months later.

maime, Day-O (the banana boat song) was Harry Belafonte. Admittedly, Belafonte is also really good looking and was Sir's good friend for most of their adult lives.

LillySparrow, Didn't everyone?!?!?!

Tiffany , Spence's last movie. He died before it was released.

Melode Fidler, My fave is Lilies of the Field. ok, everybody clap.....Aaamen, Aaamen, Aaamen, Amen Amen.

Great actor and humanitarian. May he RIP.

To sir with love is my favorite movie of his. I wish I had a teacher like him . I would never have graduated .

great actor,kind man

Awesome human and Awesome actor, didn't Spencer Tracy play in Guess who's coming to Dinner?? Great movie!!

He was fabulous in The Slender Thread with Anne Bancroft, ( so was she). 😀😀😀😀☺️☺️

Lucy, Lets do it again.

Oprah's reaction to his Death summed up the loss

nimblemoon, Although Born In Miami. His Family Was From The Bahamas, Which Under British Rule.

Love, LOVED ‘To Sir With Love’ . . . I saw it as a teenager (in the ‘70’s) and wished he was my Teacher!!

I watch his movies and they was good for a Black man to Direct

My favorite movie starring Sidney Poitier was “To Sir With Love.” I thought him handsome and a terrific actor. My second favorite was “In the Heat of the Night.” My grandparents didn’t like him because he was black, but I didn’t care what they said. A good actor is a good actor regardless of skin color!

I love Sydney Potier!!* He was great in Look Who's Coming to Dinner but even better in A Raisin in the Sun!!*

Everything he ever did was done so well!

To Sir With Love was one of the most influential movies in my young life in the 70's. I grew up in the South and TSWLove. taught me to respect people regardless of color.