sidney poitier s virgil tibbs, a man of authority. i m a police officer. ..intelligence and a steely determination never to back down the kind of qualities that defined poitier on screen and off. he made his cinema debut playing a doctor, a man of status something almost unheard of for black performers then. and with roles like an escaped convict in the defiant ones and a struggling husband in a raisin in the sun, he tackled prejudice head on. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. all right, mr charlie. all right, mr great white father. you just give us that money! and we won t come out there and dirty up your white folks neighbourhood. the era, of course, meant he had a burden his white counterparts rarely had to carry the weight of being a symbol. but he bore it with dignity. in lilies of the field, playing a travelling handyman, helping build a group of nuns a new chapel.
he made his cinema debut playing a doctor, a man of status something almost unheard of for black performers then. and with roles like an escaped convict in the defiant ones and a struggling husband in a raisin in the sun, he tackled prejudice head on. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. all right, mr charlie. all right, mr great white father. you just give us that money! and we won t come out there and dirty up your white folks neighbourhood. the era, of course, meant he had a burden his white counterparts rarely had to carry the weight of being a symbol. but he bore it with dignity. in lilies of the field, playing a travelling handyman, helping build a group of nuns a new chapel. sing it over. the winner is sidney poitier. he won the academy award the first black performer ever to receive the oscar for a leading role. in the years that followed, he became hollywood s biggest star, redefining how audiences
his life. # in the heat of the night.# sidney poitier s virgil tibbs, a man of authority. i m a police officer. ..intelligence and a steely determination never to back down. the kind of qualities that defined poitier on screen and off. he made his cinema debut playing a doctor, a man of status, something almost unheard of for black performers then. and with roles like an escaped convict in the defiant ones and a struggling husband in a raisin in the sun, he tackled prejudice head on. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. all right, mr charlie. all right, mr great white father. you just give us that money and we won t come out there and dirty up your white folks neighbourhood. the era of course meant he had a burden his white counterparts rarely had to carry. the weight of being a symbol. but he bore it with dignity.
a man of authority. i m a police officer. ..intelligence and a steely determination, never to back down. the kind of qualities that defined sidney poitier on screen and off. he made his cinema debut playing a doctor, a man of status, something almost unheard of for black performers then. with roles like an escaped convict in the defiant ones, and a struggling husband in a raisin in the sun, he tackled prejudice head on. maybe i will get down on my black knees. all right, mr great white father, give us that money and we will come out there and dirty up your white folks neighbourhood. the era meant he had a burden his white counterparts rarely had to carry, the weight of being a symbol, but he bore it with dignity. in lillies of the field playing a travelling handyman helping build a group of nuns a new chapel.
to the actor sir sidney poitier, who s died at the age of 94. mr obama said the star had opened doors for a generation of actors . sidney poitier made his name in a series of ground breaking films which challenged racial stereotypes. he was the first black man to win an oscar for best actor, and his success paved the way for generations of other black artists. our correspondent lizo mzimba looks back on the life of a hollywood icon. # in the heat of the night. sidney poitier s virgil tibbs, a man of authority. i m a police officer. ..intelligence and a steely determination never to back down the kind of qualities that defined poitier on screen and off. he made his cinema debut playing a doctor, a man of status something almost unheard of for black performers then. and with roles like an escaped convict in the defiant ones and a struggling husband in a raisin in the sun, he tackled prejudice head on. maybe i ll get down