Sir Sidney Poitier
Sydney Poitier is twelve years my senior, having been born of Bahamian parents on February 27, 1927. Because his parents were in Miami at the time, and his birth was pre-mature he automatically came to hold American citizenship, together with his Bahamian status. On a side note, he is father to five daughters, including one whose name is Sydney Tamia Poitier. I particularly mention this for the avoidance of confusion.
Sidney Poitier’s life is a monument to dignity. He is an actor, director, author and a diplomat. His era was the same as James Earl Jones, and he had to fight a lot of the same unnecessary battles to overcome the odds against succeeding.
His early life was that of an unwanted (by white society) black young man who laboured in the usual list of menial jobs. He grew up on Cat Island Key in the Bahamas and in Nassau until he was 15. I have great empathy with this period in his life. In those days to be such a person you lived without any real ambition. Most people simply focused on what was available in their own neighbourhoods, but at age 15 Sidney was sent back to Miami to live with relatives, and at age 17 he set out to face real life in New York City.
It goes without saying that he would have been sorely tried in that environment. He joined the U.S. Army, probably out of a desperate attempt at survival. In New York he encountered the American Negro Theatre and auditioned and was thought to have promise. However, he spoke like someone from the Islands and had to brush up his vocal act. This was the turning point in his life, and although his career started in fits and starts he was eventually seen by the famous director Daryl F. Zanuck in 1950 who cast him in a starring role in “No Way Out.” He played the role of a black doctor who was confronted with having to save the life of a segregationist. He played the role so superbly that he had to be taken seriously.
That was followed by “Blackboard Jungle” in 1955 that gave him real momentum. However, he was cast to co-star in The Defiant One’s” alongside Robert Mitchum. The problem with this was that Mitchum refused to work alongside a black man, so Mitchum was sacked. That was a truly amazing thing to have happened at that time. His place was taken by Tony Curtis and was a great success.
The details of Sidney’s life is what makes him so interesting. His list of accomplishments read like the history of Hollywood itself. All the while we have to keep in mind the humble beginnings from whence he came. None of the people with whom he associated would have said to him that when he was being honoured by the movers and shakers of the world, that he should remember his roots, because such a possibility would have been absurd.
Looking briefly at his work we see that he has 52 film credits, including many hits. He directed 9 films, and starred in eight Made-for-Television films.
His two most memorable films, in my view are “Guess who’s Coming to Dinner”, and “They Call me MISTER Tibbs!” These films when viewed in today’s world might seem somewhat tame, but at the time they were electrifying to white audiences, and especially to black audiences they were heart-stopping. I also think they were instrumental in moving the civil rights argument ahead by a quantum leap.
In 1974, Sidney Poitier was made a KBE by Queen Elizabeth II. That is to say that he became a Knight Commander of the British Empire. This means that he is entitled to be known as Sir Sidney Poitier, and his wife is Lady Poitier. Neither he or his wife actively use their titles, but under his association with the Bahamas and The Commonwealth, these are legal designations to which they are entitled.
Interestingly, when we watched the very stirring classroom tearjerker in 1996 called “To Sir, With Love”, we had no idea that he was a real and legal “Sir.”
It is my great honour to say that I met Sidney Poitier in London when he was directing “A Warm December.” He actually considered me to audition for a pivotal role as the doctor . I think I have no acting skills, and in light of the fact that he stands for excellence, I thought it best not to even try. Perhaps I was wrong.
Sidney has gathered at least 15 awards or forms of recognition throughout his long and distinguished career, including the Oscar for “Lillies of the Fields,” and in 2009 President Barak Obama bestowed The American “Medal of Freedom” upon him for a life well lived.
Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones. Two giants of the same entertainment industry of the same era, who could have been competitors, but who worked together for the furtherance of their art, the industry, and for civil rights. Humanity owes these two men so much, but we were entertained while growing up, so we don’t even realise what was accomplished. The American voters learned to vote for the best option without any unnecessary fixed criteria, and that is a wonderful thing for the world at large.
To Sidney Poitier I say “Live Long my friend. Live to see your great granddaughter grow up. Live to enjoy your daughters’ happiness. It is my honour to have met you and to have lived within your era. Live long, Live well, Live happy, and continue to live with dignity. Well Done, Sir!”
Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael
Sydney Poitier is twelve years my senior, having been born of Bahamian parents on February 27, 1927. Because his parents were in Miami at the time, and his birth was pre-mature he automatically came to hold American citizenship, together with his Bahamian status. On a side note, he is father to five daughters, including one whose name is Sydney Tamia Poitier. I particularly mention this for the avoidance of confusion.
Sidney Poitier’s life is a monument to dignity. He is an actor, director, author and a diplomat. His era was the same as James Earl Jones, and he had to fight a lot of the same unnecessary battles to overcome the odds against succeeding.
His early life was that of an unwanted (by white society) black young man who laboured in the usual list of menial jobs. He grew up on Cat Island Key in the Bahamas and in Nassau until he was 15. I have great empathy with this period in his life. In those days to be such a person you lived without any real ambition. Most people simply focused on what was available in their own neighbourhoods, but at age 15 Sidney was sent back to Miami to live with relatives, and at age 17 he set out to face real life in New York City.
It goes without saying that he would have been sorely tried in that environment. He joined the U.S. Army, probably out of a desperate attempt at survival. In New York he encountered the American Negro Theatre and auditioned and was thought to have promise. However, he spoke like someone from the Islands and had to brush up his vocal act. This was the turning point in his life, and although his career started in fits and starts he was eventually seen by the famous director Daryl F. Zanuck in 1950 who cast him in a starring role in “No Way Out.” He played the role of a black doctor who was confronted with having to save the life of a segregationist. He played the role so superbly that he had to be taken seriously.
That was followed by “Blackboard Jungle” in 1955 that gave him real momentum. However, he was cast to co-star in The Defiant One’s” alongside Robert Mitchum. The problem with this was that Mitchum refused to work alongside a black man, so Mitchum was sacked. That was a truly amazing thing to have happened at that time. His place was taken by Tony Curtis and was a great success.
The details of Sidney’s life is what makes him so interesting. His list of accomplishments read like the history of Hollywood itself. All the while we have to keep in mind the humble beginnings from whence he came. None of the people with whom he associated would have said to him that when he was being honoured by the movers and shakers of the world, that he should remember his roots, because such a possibility would have been absurd.
Looking briefly at his work we see that he has 52 film credits, including many hits. He directed 9 films, and starred in eight Made-for-Television films.
His two most memorable films, in my view are “Guess who’s Coming to Dinner”, and “They Call me MISTER Tibbs!” These films when viewed in today’s world might seem somewhat tame, but at the time they were electrifying to white audiences, and especially to black audiences they were heart-stopping. I also think they were instrumental in moving the civil rights argument ahead by a quantum leap.
In 1974, Sidney Poitier was made a KBE by Queen Elizabeth II. That is to say that he became a Knight Commander of the British Empire. This means that he is entitled to be known as Sir Sidney Poitier, and his wife is Lady Poitier. Neither he or his wife actively use their titles, but under his association with the Bahamas and The Commonwealth, these are legal designations to which they are entitled.
Interestingly, when we watched the very stirring classroom tearjerker in 1996 called “To Sir, With Love”, we had no idea that he was a real and legal “Sir.”
It is my great honour to say that I met Sidney Poitier in London when he was directing “A Warm December.” He actually considered me to audition for a pivotal role as the doctor . I think I have no acting skills, and in light of the fact that he stands for excellence, I thought it best not to even try. Perhaps I was wrong.
Sidney has gathered at least 15 awards or forms of recognition throughout his long and distinguished career, including the Oscar for “Lillies of the Fields,” and in 2009 President Barak Obama bestowed The American “Medal of Freedom” upon him for a life well lived.
Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones. Two giants of the same entertainment industry of the same era, who could have been competitors, but who worked together for the furtherance of their art, the industry, and for civil rights. Humanity owes these two men so much, but we were entertained while growing up, so we don’t even realise what was accomplished. The American voters learned to vote for the best option without any unnecessary fixed criteria, and that is a wonderful thing for the world at large.
To Sidney Poitier I say “Live Long my friend. Live to see your great granddaughter grow up. Live to enjoy your daughters’ happiness. It is my honour to have met you and to have lived within your era. Live long, Live well, Live happy, and continue to live with dignity. Well Done, Sir!”
Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael
