Sidney Poitier leaves a rich legacy: the 'freedom to choose'

LOS ANGELES — The long and rich life of Sidney Poitier, who died Jan.6 at age 94, leaves behind many legacies. But it is his career in Hollywood that may have been the most transformative, changing both an industry and a culture .

Having already found some success in the theater, Poitier made his screen debut with "No Way Out" in 1950. He would become the first Black man to be nominated for the Academy Award for lead actor with 1958's "The Defiant Ones." He used his stardom to help bring Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" to Broadway in 1959, where he originated the role he would play in the 1961 film adaptation. He then became the first Black actor to win the Oscar with 1963's "Lilies of the Field." With 1980's "Stir Crazy," Poitier was the first Black director to make a film that grossed more than $100 million at the box office.

Yet simply