actor s life. and then came no way out, a groundbrooking film about racism. you watch yourself black boy, watch how you talk to me. just shut up. reporter: he played a doctor, in a performance so powerful, the film was credited with ending british colonial rule in the bahamas, and in the intense 22-year-old performer, hollywood had its first african-american screen star. why you black go ahead and say it! first he would point out it was too long in coming. if we are 40 million americans, we certainly ought to have more than one movie star. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. reporter: but he wasn t just a movie star. he was the embodiment of a proud and dignified black point of view in the american conversation about race that accelerated along with the civil rights movement. in 67 he reached hollywood s mountaintop, top earning leading man as tibbs, righteous enough
moment. reporter: ray, in the bahamas, he moved to harlem as a teenager and endured the usual hard climb to an actor s life. and then the film about racism. you watch yourself, black boy. watch how you talk to me. just shut up. reporter: portier played a doctor in a performance so powerful, the film was credited with ending british colonial rule in the bahamas, and the intense 22-year-old performer, hollywood had its first african-american screen star. why you black go ahead and say it. a first he would point out that was too long in coming. if we are 40 million americans, we certainly ought to have more than one movie star. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. reporter: he wasn t just a movie star. he was the embodiment of a proud and dignified black point of view in the american conversation about race that accelerated along with the civil rights movement.
climb. and then came no way out, a film about racism. you watch yourself black boy, watch how you talk to me. just shut up. reporter: he played a doctor, the intense 22-year-old performer, hollywood had its first african-american screen star. go ahead and say it! first he would point out it was too long in coming. if we are 40 million americans, we certainly ought to have more than one movie star. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. reporter: but he wasn t just a movie star. he was the embodiment of a proud and dignified black point of view in the american conversation about race that accelerated along with the civil rights movement. in 67 he reached hollywood s mountaintop, top hollywood
the field handyman homer smith. lots of luck. yeah, you. reporter: the role that won him the first ever lead actor award for an african-american. it is a long journey. reporter: he moved 0 harlem as a teenager and endured the hard climb. then no way out in the 1950s film about racism. you watch yourself, black boy. just shut up. reporter: he played a doctor. in a performance so performance the film credited with ending british colonial role in the bahamas. hollywood has the first african-american screen star. go ahead and say it. reporter: a first to later point out too long in coming. if we are 40 million americans, we certainly ought to have more than one movie star.
screen. in account the heat of the night . where did you earn it? i m a police officer. and in the lilies of the field . i ain t building no shackle. yeah, you. the one that led him the first ever oscar for an african american. it is a long journey to this moment. raised in the bahamas, he endured the hard scrabble climb to an actor s life. then in a film about race inch. you watch yourself, black boy. watch how you talk to me. just shut up. poitier played a doctor. the film was credited with ending hollywood had its first african american screen star. go ahead and say it. a first he later points out