THE POP EXPOSE – Remembering Sydney Poitier Story By Mitchell Smith!

Sydney Poitier was born February 20,1927. His parents were from the Bahamas and were visiting Miami, FL when Sydney was unexpectedly born 2 months early. Sydney grew up in the Bahamas and ended up moving to the US in his teens. There he found his way to the ANT in Harlem. This Theater put on live performances from 1940 to 1949. While at the ANT he met another all time great Harry Belafonte who was born in March 1927.

Both would go on to have great careers and be leading roll models as the US would enter a rocky rollercoaster ride through human rights movements. Sydney became the first black male to win an Academy Award as lead actor in his roll as Homer Smith in the 1963 film Lilies of the Field. Poitier would go on from there to have a career that lasted some 50 years. He worked with Clark Gabble in the 1957 film Band of Angels, he acted and directed his first of many films Buck and the Preacher where he worked with his friend Belafonte, and he was in the 1992 film Sneakers along side Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, and the late River Phoenix.

Poitier directed 9 films including Uptown Saturday night from 1974 starring himself along side Belafonte and Bill Cosby, Stir Crazy from 1980, one of my favorites starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, and his last movie directed from 1990 Ghost Dad starring Bill Cosby. He also did a number of appearances on tv including Oprah and Larry King. Poitier has 6 daughters including Sydney Tamiia Poitier who has a successful acting career of her own. Poitier had a wonderful career and helped shape the world we live and watch today. He was a huge part of the Hollywood community and many describe him as graceful and a true gentleman. He will be missed but his legacy will live on in his many works. RIP Mr. Poitier.