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
era. his icon films in the heat of the night, to sir with love, guess who s coming to dinner, of course. let s take a look at some of this. i love your daughter. there is nothing i wouldn t do to try to keep her as happy as she was the day i met her. it seems to me without your approval we will make no sense at all. that is why i am asking for the clearest possible statement of what your attitude is going to be. i appreciate that, doctor. it s almost in the form of an ultimatum. not quite, mr. traden. all you have to say is goodbye. you know, his roles helped revolutionize pop culture. how did they come to be beloved by americans across the board? poitier was, you know, first of all his gift as an actor he was incredibly gifted at radiating charm, magnetism, certain inherent goodness
reporter: but he would also challenge the hollywood establishment forcing a change in his iconic role as detective virgil tibbs 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 am going to put you on the bus myself. you aren t taking me anywhere. you dig? you are holding the wrong man. reporter: that same year, he would star in the wa watershed film guess who is coming to dinner alongside spencer tracie and katherine hepburn. mom, this is john. reporter: the film not only depicted a successful interracial relationship, it also foreshadowed future progress in america. have you given any thought to the problems your children are going to have? yes. and they ll have some. and we ll have the children. oerds otherwise, i don t know what you would call it but you couldn t call it a marriage. is that the way joey feels? she feels every single one of
hollywood hard. so true. this is really hitting hollywood hard. so true. this is really hitting holl ood hard. , hollywood hard. those three films that we already hollywood hard. those three films that we already name hollywood hard. those three films that we already name checked - hollywood hard. those three films that we already name checked all| that we already name checked all were released in the space of about a year. and they are all impressive performances in very different characters. the school teacher, the angry, controlled anger of in the heat of the night, there was never any doubt of his range as an actor. it was incredible range and there was thought about that year 1967 where sidney poitier, two of those films in the heat of the night which one best picture and guess who s coming to dinner which was nominated in that category and he played opposite the winner of best actor in the best actress. yet, he himself, i think he cancelled himself out because he was so grea
vaccine entry requirements. and this letter had no surname or address on the envelope just a short biography. but amazingly, it made it to the right person. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. one of the best known black hollywood actors of the past century, sidney poitier, has died. he was 94. 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. his films, including in the heat of the night and guess who s coming to dinner, reflected an america struggling with issues of racism and prejudice at the height of the civil rights movement. his impact ultimately,