Black history

OUR History 04/13/20120 Comments Sidney Poitier On April 13, 1964, Sidney Poitier Won The Oscar For BEST ACTOR, For His Role In The Movie, Lilies Of The Field. In Doing So, He Became The First Black American To Win An Academy Award In A LEAD ROLE. (Hattie McDaniel Was The First Black American To Win an Oscar, For Her Supporting Role In Gone With The Wind, 1939). Poitier's Career Changed The Way Black Men Were Depicted On Film. For More Than Six Decades, He Has Made The Personal And Conscious Choice To Play Intelligent, Articulate, Charming, Proud And Attractive Male Characters. While Other Actors Before Him, Like Paul Robeson, Gave Dignity To Their Film Roles, Poitier's Presence In The Industry Was More Consistent. Of His Many Films, The Most Mentioned Are "The Defiant Ones," "To Sir With Love," "In The Heat Of The Night," "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," "A Raisin The Sun" And "They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!!" Poitier has Also Directed A Number Of Popular Movies. During The 1970s He Directed And Starred With Harry Belafonte In "Buck And The Preacher." He Later Directed And Starred With Friend, Bill Cosby, In A Trilogy Of Films - "Uptown Saturday Night," "A Piece Of The Action" And "Let's Do It Again." In The 1980s He Directed Richard Pryor And Gene Wilder In "Stir Crazy." In 2001, Sidney Poitier Received An Honorary Academy Award For His Overall Contribution To American Cinema. In August 2009, Poitier Received The Medal Of Freedom From President Barack Obama. "In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.