Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian-American actor known for his appearances on the stage and screen.
He became the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963). He also received a Grammy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and a British Academy Film Award. Poitier received numerous honoraries during his lifetime including the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement in film in 2001. In 1992, he received the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 1994, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1981, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and in 2016 he received the BAFTA Fellowship.
In 1995, Poitier received the Kennedy Center Honor and in 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama. He was also awarded as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.
Awards
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 1958 |
Best Actor |
The Defiant Ones |
Nominated |
|
| 1963 |
Lilies of the Field |
Won |
| 2001 |
Honorary Academy Award |
Received |
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 1958 |
Best Foreign Actor |
Edge of the City |
Nominated |
|
| 1959 |
The Defiant Ones |
Won |
| 1962 |
A Raisin in the Sun |
Nominated |
| 1965 |
Lilies of the Field |
Nominated |
| 1967 |
A Patch of Blue |
Nominated |
| 1968 |
In the Heat of the Night |
Nominated |
| 2016 |
BAFTA Fellowship |
Received |
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 1958 |
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama |
The Defiant Ones |
Nominated |
|
| 1959 |
Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
Porgy and Bess |
Nominated |
| 1961 |
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama |
A Raisin in the Sun |
Nominated |
| 1963 |
Lilies of the Field |
Won |
| 1965 |
A Patch of Blue |
Nominated |
| 1967 |
In the Heat of the Night |
Nominated |
| 1968 |
Henrietta Award |
World Film Favorite |
Won |
| 1969 |
Nominated |
| 1970 |
Nominated |
| 1981 |
Cecil B. DeMille Award |
|
Received |
| 1991 |
Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film |
Separate but Equal |
Nominated |
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 2001 |
Best Spoken Word Album |
The Measure of a Man |
Won |
|
| 2009 |
Life Beyond Measure |
Nominated |
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 1991 |
Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie |
Separate but Equal |
Nominated |
|
| 1997 |
Mandela and de Klerk |
Nominated |
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 1998 |
Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries of Television Movie |
Mandela and de Klerk |
Nominated |
|
| 2000 |
Life Achievement Award |
Received |
|
| Year |
Category |
Nominated work |
Result |
Ref. |
| 1960 |
Best Actor in a Play |
A Raisin in the Sun |
Nominated |
|
Honorary Awards
AFI Life Achievement Award
- In 1992, Poitier received the AFI Life Achievement Award.
- In 1995, Poitier received the Kennedy Center Honor
Walk of Fame
- In 1994, Poitier received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7065 Hollywood Blvd.
Honorary Knighthood
Other tributes
- 1958: Silver Bear for Best Actor (Berlin Film Festival) for The Defiant Ones
- 1963: Silver Bear for Best Actor (Berlin Film Festival) for Lilies of the Field
- 1997: Appointed non-resident Bahamian Ambassador to Japan
- 2011: Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala Tribute honoring his life and careers
- 2014: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Awards Council member Oprah Winfrey
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