Any list of the most iconic actors of all time must include Sidney Poitier, who rose from a childhood of poverty to an Oscar-winning career in film. A native of the Bahamas, Poitier moved to New York City at the age of 18 and began acting on the stage, quickly rising from small plays to large Broadway productions. In 1949, at the age of 22, he made his feature film debut in the film No Way Out opposite Richard Widmark.
Over the next six decades, Poitier became a role model on and off the screen, using his celebrity to work for numerous social causes and human rights in the midst of the civil rights movement. Not only did he star in films that addressed racial equality, he carried himself with a level of professionalism and dignity rarely seen in Hollywood. When he died in January 2022 from complications of cancer and heart failure, he left behind a legacy of classic cinema and civic activism that changed Hollywood forever.
Poitier's trailblazing career saw a number of landmark films, and the accolades followed. He was not only the first African American to be nominated for Best Actor (in 1959), he was the first to win the award for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1964). He even took a decade off from acting, from the late seventies into the eighties, and didn't miss a beat upon his return. Following are the top ten non-documentary Sidney Poitier movies from his illustrious career, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.
10 The Bedford Incident (1965) - 85%
In 1950, Richard Widmark starred in the lead role in Poitier's first movie, No Way Out. The two became friends, and fifteen years later, they reunited for The Bedford Incident, a Cold War thriller in the vein of Fail Safe, which had been released the year before.
Poitier plays Ben Munceford, a journalist on board the USS Bedford, a destroyer on patrol in the North Atlantic and led by Capt. Findlnder (Widmark). When the ship crosses paths with a Russian submarine, Findlander is determined to provoke a confrontation, with dire consequences for everyone.
9 No Way Out (1950) - 86%
Poitier made his feature film debut in 1950's No Way Out, in which he plays Luther Brooks, a doctor in a hospital where he has to treat the Biddle brothers, two hoodlums shot during an attempted robbery. When one of the doctors dies under Brooks' care, the surviving brother (Widmark), who is a violent racist, believes he killed him purposely and promises revenge. The provocative screenplay earned an Oscar nomination for writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
8 Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) - 89%
Cry, the Beloved Country is a 1951 British film that addressed South Africa's apartheid system decades before the movement to abolish it gained traction in the United States. Based on Alan Paton's novel, the film stars Canada Lee as Stephen, a minister from a rural part of South Africa, who travels to the capital of Johannesburg to search for his son, who has turned to a life of crime in the city.
Poitier plays a minister in the city who helps Stephen search for his son, and he shows him first-hand how the country's segregation policies doom the black community to lives of poverty. The film was actually shot in South Africa, showing the real effects of apartheid on people.
7 A Patch of Blue (1965) - 89%
A Patch of Blue was released at the height of the civil rights movement and caused a stir with its storyline of a biracial romance. Poitier played Gordon Ralfe, a Black man who meets and befriends a blind woman (Elizabeth Hartman) he meets in a park. She initially doesn't realize he is Black, and she falls in love with him, much to the chagrin of her racist, ex-prostitute mother (Shelley Winters). Hartman earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, but it was Winters who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
6 To Sir, with Love (1967) - 90%
In To Sir, with Love, Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, an aspiring engineer who begins teaching at a school in London's rough East End, until the job he really wants comes calling. The students are undisciplined, bitter teens who have lived a tough life, and they drive Thackeray to the breaking point. He lays down the law, and with some tough love, makes a connection with them.
Some elements of the film haven't aged well. The degenerate students of the late 1960s are a bit melodramatic, but Poitier elevates the film to classic status. The British-made film was a surprise hit when released in the United States, where it became a pop culture phenomenon. Columbia Pictures was even more surprised when a survey of moviegoers said they were drawn to the film by Poitier himself, solidifying his reputation as a box office A-lister.
5 A Raisin in the Sun (1961) - 90%
The big-screen adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's Tony-nominated play, A Raisin in the Sun featured Poitier (reprising his Broadway role) as Walter Lee Younger, a member of a poor Chicago family whose fortunes change when they receive a substantial insurance payout. The family is torn over the best use of the money; Walter wants to invest in a business, while his mother (Claudia McNeil) wants to buy a house in a nice part of town. The family soon discovers that money doesn't solve your problems.
4 The Defiant Ones (1958) - 91%
The Defiant Ones pairs Poitier with Tony Curtis as prisoners who escape while chained together. Curtis plays "Joker," a racist convict who is none too pleased about being chained to a Black man. Eventually, the pair bond over the struggle to evade the police and get free of their chains.
Poitier's portrayal of Noah earned him his first Best Actor Oscar nomination, although he eventually lost to David Niven for Separate Tables. Curtis also nabbed a Best Actor nod, and the film had nine Oscar nominations in all, including Best Picture and Best Director (Stanley Kramer).
Watch for the legendary Lon Chaney Jr. (The Wolf Man) who gives a fantastic performance in a small but pivotal role as a man who takes pity on the pair when they cross paths. Also in a notable role is Carl Switzer, who played Alfalfa in the Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts. Switzer plays a member of the search party in what would be his final role, as he was murdered shortly after completing the film.
3 Lilies of the Field (1963) - 92%
After being passed over for the Best Actor five years earlier, in 1964 Poitier became the first African American to win Best Actor for his iconic performance in Lilies of the Field. In this Ralph Nelson film, he plays Homer Smith, a traveling handyman picking up work he finds on the road.
When he crosses paths with a group of German nuns newly arrived in America, they convince him to build a chapel in rural Arizona. What should have been just a charming comedic drama becomes a lovely character study, with outstanding performances from Poitier and co-star Lilia Skala, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
The film earned five Oscar nominations in all, including Best Picture, although only Poitier took home an award. It would be another 38 years before another African American would win Best Actor when Denzel Washington won for Training Day in 2002. Ironically, at the same Oscar ceremony, Poitier was given an honorary Oscar for his outstanding career.
2 In the Heat of the Night (1967) - 96%
Based on the John Ball novel, director Norman Jewison's In the Heat of the Night tells the story of a Black homicide detective from Philadelphia tasked to solve a murder in a racially-charged town in Mississippi. Poitier plays Detective Virgil Tibbs, who is told to assist Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) in the investigation of the killing of a local businessman.
Tibbs isn't happy with the assignment, as he gets little respect from the deeply racist white residents in the town. Though Gillespie initially resents Tibbs' help, the two forge an unlikely alliance in search of the truth.
In the Heat of the Night was a critical and box office hit for Poitier, who named it a personal favorite of all his films. It was nominated for seven Oscars and won five, including Best Picture, and Steiger took home Best Actor. Incredibly, Poitier was not even nominated, although the strength of his performance is undeniable.
If you need any proof of the power of Poitier's screen presence, just watch his delivery of the iconic line, "They call me Mister Tibbs!" It is cinematic perfection.
1 Shoot to Kill (1988) - 100%
Poitier returned from an eleven-year break from acting to star in Shoot to Kill, a 1988 thriller from director Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies). It may not have as many reviews as other Poitier films, which likely affected the rating, but the film is no less an entertaining watch and a welcome return to the big screen for the then-60-year-old actor.
Poitier plays an FBI agent on the trail of a killer on the run in the mountains, so he teams with a local expert tracker (Tom Berenger) to find him. Cheers star Kirstie Alley appears as a tour guide unknowingly paired with the killer in the wilderness. Poitier and Berenger made for a great odd couple as they battle the elements to find him.
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