Sidney Poitier

Both an esteemed actor and a respected humanitarian, Sidney Poitier received an Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963) and an Honorary Award presented in 2001. Born in Miami, he grew up both in the Bahamas and the United States and became a noted actor both on the stage and in such films as The Defiant Ones (1958, which earned him his first Oscar nomination), A Patch of Blue (1965), In the Heat of the Night (1967) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967). He has also directed nine features and remains a major inspirational figure among the creative community.