WR’s Black History Quiz – Continue the Learning!

And the Oscar Goes to…Sidney Poitier

Handsome, svelte, controlled yet intense in his acting, Sidney Poitier is emblematic of a true Hollywood star.  He broke through Hollywood’s color barrier with leading roles in films such as No Way Out (1950), A Raisin in the Sun (1959), Paris Blues (1961), Lilies of the Field (1963), and The Heat of the Night (1967) that challenged stereotypes of Black men that had been rampant in the American film industry.  Even the briefest glance at Poitier’s prolific filmography points to his trailblazing role in the American cinematic culture.     In No Way Out (1950), Poitier stars as a fledgling Black doctor who practices medicine single-mindedly in the face of harassment and bigotry.   One year later, in Cry, the Beloved Country (1951), a film based on Alan Paton’s novel, Poitier stars as a reverend intent on reuniting his family during apartheid in South Africa.   In Lilies of the Night (1963), Poitier challenges stereotypes of race and class as an itinerant worker who is enlisted to build a chapel for a group of Catholic nuns.   In Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), Poitier plays Katherine Hepburn’s fiancé, John Prentice, as the young couple bids for the love and acceptance of their families in this story […]