Poitier, Sidney (1927– )

US-Bahamanian actor and film director. During his long career he has helped break down some of the race barriers in Hollywood, refusing to work on projects which he felt discriminated against black actors. He won acclaim in No Way Out (1950), and later films include Something of Value (1957), The Defiant Ones (1958), Lilies of the Field (1963), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Sneakers (1992), and The Jackal (1997). He directed Stir Crazy (1980) and Ghost Dad (1990).

Poitier was born in Miami, Florida and grew up in the Bahamas. He was the first black actor to receive an Academy Award, for Lilies in the Field. He published his autobiography, This Life, in 1980. He received the American Film Institute's life achievement award in 1992. A dual US-Bahamian citizen, he was appointed ambassador to Japan for the Bahamas in 1997.