the bahamian actor revolutionized pushing the entertainment industry to put them in roles beyond the 1950s and 60s. he made a point to play roles on the ugliness of racial injustice and he defined it with grace, dignity and poise. in 1964 at the height of the civil rights movement he became the first black person to win an oscar for lilies of the field. he lit up the silver screen in three of hollywood s top grossing films. in the movie in the heat of the night he embodies tibs, a detective working on a case in mississippi who slapped bigotry right in the face, literally. in this greenhouse last night about midnight
the famous lilies scene, the songwriter actually did the singing. poitier was considered a bankable star in 1967, starring in a landmark film to sir with love . those kids are devils incarnate. i tried everything. reporter: playing characters that would force audiences to confront racial prejudices. they call me mr. tibs. reporter: he would also challenge the hollywood establishment, forcing a change in his iconic role as detective virgil tibs in the 1967 academy award winning in the heat of the night because of a scene that would require him to acquiesce to a racist character. i m going to take you over to brownsville and put you on the bus myself. you aren t taking me anywhere, you dig? you re holding the wrong man! reporter: that same year he would star in the water shed film guess who s coming to dinner, alongside spencer tracy and katharine hepburn. mom, this is john.
last thing before we go tonight. we mark the passing of academy award winning actor and hollywood legend sydney puts years, in a statement today, president biden called him a once in a generation actor and advocate. whose work carried so much dignity, power, and grace, that it changed the world on and off the big screen. and receives joe fryer takes a look back at the long career and lasting impact of the great sydney pottier. they call me mr. tips. sydney pots a play characters who jumped off the screen omnipresent rob snyder in the heat of the night. and in the lives of the feels, handyman homer smith. that s a lot mother, i m not building any shackles. the role that won him the first of ever lead actor i ll score for an african american. it is a long journey to this
more vulnerable patients. i think it s a split decision, one will be stayed and the other will not. eric: mandating that health care workers get vaccinated because they deal wellerly in many case- yes. eric: need to protect the patients. yes. eric: doug, thank you. we ll see how it turns out. my pleasure, eric. thank you. arthel: hollywood a-listers are remembering the trailblazing actor, director, civil rights activist and icon sidney poitier who died thursday night at the age of 94. he broke racial barriers in hollywood starring in classic films like in the heat of the night, guess who s coming to dinner and to sir, with love. he became the first black man to win as oscar in 1963 s lilies of the field. he also received a special academy award in 2002 and was awarded the presidential medal of freedom by president barack obama in 2009.
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