Sidney Poitier

Born in Miami in 1927 and raised in the Bahamas, Sidney Poitier began acting after the war, and soon made his film debut in Hollywood with No Way Out. He became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award® for Best Actor. He has starred in more than 40 films, directed nine and written four.

In 1968, he was knighted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and is the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees, the last from New York University. He has received three Golden Globe Awards®; an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award; the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other awards and honors. In April 1997, Poitier was named the Ambassador to Japan from the Bahamas.

Sir Poitier is currently president and CEO of Verdon Cedric Productions. He is married, has six daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.