Encore! Encore! This December Janet, John, (and Pen) wanted to revist the astounding life of the director of A Warm December, an extremely talented actor, activist, and diplomat... Sidney Poitier! Born in Miami, Florida on February 20th in 1927, this Bahamian-American actor changed the game for black actors forever in the motion-picture industry by becoming the African American to win the Academy Award for best actor and the first Black movie star. Even though he seemed destined for the stage and stardom, Poitier worked hard to amass such a massive career in Hollywood. He got his start in the American Negro Theatre after applying for the second time after a previous rejection because of his accent (which he worked on changing to American pronounciation for six months). While studying acting, he made his Broadway debut in Lyrsistrata in 1946. His first film role was as Dr. Luther Brooks, a hospital's only Black doctor who treats a bigoted white cirminal, in No Way Out (1950). His refusal to play into racial sterotypes helped create inroads for Black people into American media culture. He later starred, worked in, and directed many films such as, Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965), A Warm December (1973), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), and Stir Crazy (1980). He also went onto winning 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! Join us as we revist Tribute 10 Mini-Sode: Sidney Poitier!

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