Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier is one of the greatest actors in American film history.

Full Stop.

Additionally, Sidney Poitier is the man who broke the color barrier in Hollywood. Like Barack Obama or Jackie Robinson, he was more than just a symbol. He was a man of great talent, skill, and accomplishment. His success was not only his. It was a reminder of how America had squelched the talents of so many talented citizens. 

Many fans of the “Golden Era” of “classic films” – including myself – have had to come to grips with the racist, segregationist nature of those movies. Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, and Cary Grant were great actors, and their films remain wildly enjoyable. But look at the films as a whole, and you will see the leading roles are all played by white actors. Black actors appear as slaves, domestics, field hands, or drivers. As great as Garland, Astaire, and Grant were, it’s important to remember they had opportunities denied to Lena Horne, the Nicholas Brothers, or any black man before Sidney Poitier. The racism of classic Hollywood denied us from appreciating some incredible talent.

Sidney Poitier, in his best roles, was simply magnificent.

Watch “The Defiant Ones,” “Blackboard Jungle,” “Lillies Of The Field,” “In The Heat Of The Night,” “To Sir, With Love,” and “A Patch Of Blue,” and you see a great actor at the top of his game. Poitier could be as suave as Cary Grant, as intense as Humphrey Bogart, as relatable as Jimmy Stewart. And unlike those other great actors, Sidney Poitier went on to have a fabulous director of money-making movies!

Was baseball good before it was integrated? Of course it was. Did it get better after it was integrated? It got much, much better. The same is true of movies. Sidney Poitier kick down the door of segregation in Hollywood. Just as Jackie Robinson would have been a star in any era of baseball, so would Sydney Poitier be a star in any age of Hollywood.

Perhaps the greatest tribute we can give to Sidney Poitier is that when he died, he did not leave a void in Hollywood. Just as it is impossible to imagine baseball without Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, or Bob Gibson, it’s hard to imagine Hollywood today without Denzel Washington, viola Davis, or Spike Lee. They can all thank Sidney Poitier.