Sidney Poitier

Sir Sidney Poitier KBE MF

Born	(1927-02-20) February 20, 1927 (age 90) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Citizenship	The Bahamas United States
Occupation	Actor, director, author, diplomat
Years active	1947–2001
Spouse(s)	Juanita Hardy (1950–1965) Joanna Shimkus (1976–present)
Children	Beverly Poitier Pamela Poitier Sherri Poitier Gina Poitier Anika Poitier Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1943–44
Rank	enlisted

Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (/ˈpwɑːtjeɪ/ or /ˈpwɑːti.eɪ/; born February 20, 1927), is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author and diplomat.

In 1964, Poitier became the first Bahamian and first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of these achievements was bolstered in 1967, when he starred in three successful films, all of which dealt with issues involving race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, making him the top box-office star of that year. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of classic Hollywood cinema, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.

Poitier has directed a number of films, including A Piece of the Action, Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, with Bill Cosby; Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; and Ghost Dad, also with Cosby. In 2002, thirty-eight years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award, in recognition of his "remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being".