hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. the beginning with the actor sidney poitier a groundbreaking hollywood star has died. in 1964, he won the academy award for best actor, becoming the first black man to win the award, for the film lilies in the field. in films like guess who s coming to dinner and in the heat of the night he helped explore racism in american society and became a powerful advocate for civil rights. our correspondent lizo mzimba looks back at his life.
coveted oscar for best actor. poitier never overcame the tone deafness lip syncing the singing. the scene writer actually did the singing. poitier was considered a bankable star in 1967 standing in a landmark film to serve with life . those kids are devils. reporter: playing act ever ch characters to confront racist p prejudices but would challenge the hollywood establishment forcing a change in the 1967 academy award winning in the heat of the night because of a scene that would require him to be a racist character. i ll put you on the bus myself. you ain t taking me anywhere. you re holding the wrong man. reporter: that year he would
looks back on the life, of a hollywood icon. # in the heat of the night. sidney poitier s virgil tibbs, a man of authority. i m a police officer. ..intelligence and a steely determination never to back down. the kind of qualities that defined poitier on screen and off. he made his cinema debut playing a doctor, a man of status, something almost unheard of for black performers then. and with roles like an escaped convict in the defiant ones and a struggling husband in a raisin in the sun, he tackled prejudice head on. maybe i ll get down on my black knees. all right, mr charlie. all right, mr great white father. you just give us that money! and we won t come out there and dirty up your white folks neighbourhood. the era, of course, meant he had a burden his white counterparts rarely had to carry
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