Highest rated as cast or director
Sidney Poitier's 8 titles from the 1960s have a median Balasaur Score of 75, led by A Raisin in the Sun (83) and In the Heat of the Night (82), against 61 for those from the 1970s.
Biography
Sidney Poitier KBE (February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he became the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Lilies of the Field. Other accolades include two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Major films featuring Poitier in a starring role include Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Defiant Ones (1958), To Sir, with Love (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Sneakers (1992), and The Jackal (1997). Later in his career, he turned to directing with features such as Buck and the Preacher (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Stir Crazy (1980), and Ghost Dad (1990). At the time of his death, Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Acted in 59
2020s
- 2026
The Resurrection of Christ
Movie
2000s
- 2001
The Last Brickmaker in America
Henry Cobb
- 2000
1990s
- 1999
Free of Eden
Will Cleamons
- 1998
David and Lisa
Dr. Jack Miller
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
Reverend Msimangu (archive footage)
- 1997
Mandela and de Klerk
Nelson Mandela
- 1996
To Sir, with Love II
Mark Thackeray
- 1995
Children of the Dust
Gypsy Smith · 2 episodes
- 1992
- 1991
Separate but Equal
Thurgood Marshall
Separate but Equal
Thurgood Marshall · 2 episodes
1970s
- 1977
A Piece of the Action
Manny Durrell
- 1975
Let's Do It Again
Clyde Williams
- 1974
Uptown Saturday Night
Steve Jackson
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
Brother John
John Kane
- 1970
1960s
- 1969
The Lost Man
Jason Higgs
- 1968
For Love of Ivy
Jack Parks
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
The Slender Thread
Alan Newell
The Bedford Incident
Ben Munceford
- 1964
The Long Ships
Aly Mansuh
- 1963
- 1962
Pressure Point
Doctor
- 1961
- 1960
All the Young Men
Sgt. Eddie Towler
1950s
- 1959
Virgin Island
Marcus
Porgy and Bess
Porgy
- 1958
- 1957
Band of Angels
Rau-Ru
Edge of the City
Tommy Tyler
- 1956
Good-bye, My Lady
Gates Watson
- 1955
A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
Tommy Tyler
- 1954
Go Man Go
Inman Jackson
- 1952
The Red Ball Express
Robertson
- 1951
Cry, the Beloved Country
Reverend Msimangu
- 1950
No Way Out
Luther Brooks
Directed 9
1990s
- 1990
1980s
- 1985
Fast Forward
Director
- 1982
- 1980
1970s
- 1977
A Piece of the Action
Director
- 1975
Let's Do It Again
Director
- 1974
Uptown Saturday Night
Director
- 1973
- 1972
Produced 1
1970s
- 1972
Wrote 1
1960s
- 1968
For Love of Ivy
Original Story
Appearances42
2020s
- 2025
A Star Without a Star: The Untold Juanita Moore Story
Self
- 2024
- 2023
Sidney Poitier - The Man Who Changed Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
- 2022
2010s
- 2018
Poitier's Walter Lee
Self (archive footage)
Mr. SOUL!
Self (archive footage)
- 2017
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
Self
The Madding Crowd
Self (archive footage)
- 2013
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington
Self
- 2012
Sing Your Song
Self
2000s
- 2007
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project
Self
- 2003
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
Self
- 2001
Quincy Jones: In the Pocket
Self
- 2000
Richard Widmark: Strength of Characters
Self
1990s
- 1997
Afro Promo
Self (archive footage)
- 1995
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick
Self
- 1994
A Century of Cinema
Self
1980s
- 1988
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
Self - Audience Member
- 1986
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
Self
- 1985
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
- 1984
I Love Quincy
Self
1970s
- 1979
- 1978
- 1973
- 1972
- 1970
1960s
- 1968
- 1966
The Strolling '20s
Self
- 1965
A Cinderella Named Elizabeth
Self
- 1962
- 1961
1950s
- 1957
- 1956
- 1953
