Born in Miami, FL, to poor tomato growers from Cat Island in the Bahamas, he became the American screen's first prominent black star. Raised in the Bahamas, he dropped out of school at 13 and worked at a variety of menial jobs in Miami and New York. He served in the Army before joining the American Negro Theater in New York and making his Broadway debut in the 1946 all-Negro production of Lysistrata. In films beginning in 1950, he rapidly became Hollywood's number one black actor and by the 60s he was established as a popular screen star with charismatic personal appeal and the ability to tackle an ever-widening range of roles. He was nominated for a best actor Oscar® for his role in THE DEFIANT ONES (1958) and won the Academy Award in the same category for LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963). His success helped pave the way for the entry of other black stars into the mainstream of the American commercial cinema. Other notable credits during this period include NO WAY OUT (1950), CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY (1951), BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955), EDGE OF THE CITY and SOMETHING OF VALUE (both 1957), PORGY AND BESS (1959), A RAISIN IN THE SUN and PARIS BLUES (both 1961), THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, A PATCH OF BLUE and THE SLENDER THREAD (all 1965). Poitier reached a peak of popularity with magnetic performances in three superior films of 1967, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, TO SIR WITH LOVE, and GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER. With his acting career slipping in the early 70s, he turned to directing, at first his own films, then those starring others: BUCK AND THE PREACHER (1972), A WARM DECEMBER (1973), UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT (1974), LET'S DO IT AGAIN (1975), A PIECE OF THE ACTION (1977), STIR CRAZY (1980), HANKY PANKY (1982), FAST FORWARD (1985) and GHOST DAD (1990). He was 64 years old by the time he made a mini-comeback as a leading man in 1988 (SHOOT TO KILL and LITTLE NIKITA) after a decade-long absence from the screen. In 1991 he portrayed Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in the TV movie "Separate But Equal." Other subsequent screen credits include SNEAKERS (1992), THE JACKAL (1997), BICENTENNIAL NIGGER (2006) and several made-for-TV movies. In 1992 he became the first black recipient of the American Film Insitute's Life Achievement Award. Poitier's first wife (1950-1965) was Juanita Hardy; they had four children. Poitier has been married to actress Joanna Shimkus, his second, since 1976; they have two children: Actor/director Anika Poitier (b. 1972) and actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier (b. 1973). Autobiographies: The Life (1980) and The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2001).

After the cermonies in 2002

Nominated for Actor 1958: THE DEFIANT ONES  Actor 1963: LILIES OF THE FIELD  Honorary Award 2001: "For his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence." Recipient presented statuette. 2 nominations, 1 Award, 1 Honorary Award