In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Although often simmering with repressed anger, his characters responded to injustice with quiet determination. He once wrote “I felt very much as if I were representing 18 million people with every move I made.” In a departure from acting, he directed the 1980 comedy “Stir Crazy,” starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. He was the first black performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. His acting credits include “Blackboard Jungle,” “The Defiant Ones,” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Today’s dead celebrity is Sidney Poitier.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Play our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com and sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 43 “Poetic Justice” (Maya Angelou) and Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali). 

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Sidney Poitier
Trailer for ‘The Defiant Ones’
“How many African Americans have won an Oscar in all of history”
“Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Fierce Resolve”
“When Sidney Poitier Risked His Life For Civil Rights”
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
Half Price Books
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices