Sidney Portier
Movie Actor, Sidney Poitier was born on February 20, 1924. He was born prematurely and was not expected to survive. His father had already prepared for his burial, but he miraculously recovered. His Family moved to the Bahamas, where he grew up. He was the youngest of eight siblings. Poitier dropped out of school after only 1 and a half years to help his sick father tend to the tomato farm. At age 15, he moved back to Miami where he was born. There he would live with his brother, Cyril, and worked as a drugstore messenger. His West Indian accent was misunderstood and was the reason for many prejudice attacks. Poitier told The New York Times Magazine, "I experienced tremendous loneliness as a result of realizing for the firs time that I couldn't trust adults." He decided to leave Miami after a warning visit from The KKK at his brother's house. He wanted to move to New York, but he had no money. He railed hopped and arrived with only a few dollars in his pocket. He got a job washing dishes; he slept on a roof across from the Capitol Theatre. Because of the hars
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back in New York, he saw an advertisement that The American Negro Theatre was looking for actors. In his first audition, he was laughed at then booed off of the stage. He then went to his home and imitated radio voices for many months; when he returned to the theatre he was given free acting lessons in return for doing backstage chores. He Finally won a role in Days of Our Youth. After that it was like a domino effect, and one thing lead to another and he was soon leading the few black roles available on the New York stage. In 1958, he was the first black actor ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Defiant Ones. Later in 1963, he won the Best Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Field. In 1967, he broke a Major Hollywood barrier; he had the first on-screen kiss between a white person and a black person in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In that Movie played the fiance of a rich white girl who brings him home to meet her parents. The parents' reaction to their da
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sidney Poitier, Night Civil, Times Magazine, Hollywood Debut, Dinner Movie, Negro Theatre, Richard Gere, Capitol Theatre, Days Youth, Stir Crazy, civil rights,
Approximate Word count = 719
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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