{"id":60342,"date":"2011-05-03T12:10:58","date_gmt":"2011-05-03T12:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2011\/05\/03\/sidney-poitier-lincoln-center-tribute\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T12:08:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T12:08:38","slug":"sidney-poitier-lincoln-center-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/sidney-poitier-lincoln-center-tribute\/","title":{"rendered":"Sidney Poitier Tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sidney Poitier Tributeby Wilson Morales<\/strong><\/p>\n

May 3, 2011<\/p>\n

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Last night Blackfilm.com attended New York\u2019s Film Society of Lincoln Center<\/strong>‘s tribute to Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The 84 year-old Florida native was given the 38th annual Chaplin Award<\/strong>, and is the first African American to be honored with the award.<\/p>\n

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The event was held at Alice Tully Hall, where a host of presenters, including Ben Kingsley, Bill Cosby, Chris Tucker, Dan Aykroyd, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, James Earl Jones, Mary Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Norman Jewison, Quincy Jones, Quentin Tarantino<\/strong>, Ruby Dee<\/strong>, and\u00a0daughter Sydney Tamiia Poitier<\/strong> gave heartfelt speeches about the man they’ve worked with and admired over the years.<\/p>\n

Lulu<\/strong> performed ‘To Sir, with Love<\/strong>,’ which had reached number one on the U.S. pop charts, and was Billboard magazine’s #1 pop single in 1967.<\/p>\n

Oprah Winfrey<\/strong> sent in taped message.<\/p>\n

Among the notables in attendance were Tony Bennett, Sanaa Lathan, Lynn Nottage, Lynn Whitfield, Geoffrey Fletcher, Malcolm Lee, Warrington Hudlin<\/strong>, producer Debra Martin Chase, Joan Collins<\/strong>, producer Lisa Cortes<\/strong>, Regis and Joy Philbin, Jim Belushi<\/strong>, and director James Toback.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Poitier\u2019s five decade-career has spanned theater, film, and television, making his big screen debut in 1950 with \u201cNo Way Out<\/strong>.\u201d Poitier\u2019s films in the \u201850s, notably \u201cCry, The Beloved Country<\/strong>,\u201d (1952), \u201cBlackboard Jungle<\/strong>,\u201d (1955) and \u201cThe Defiant Ones<\/strong>\u201d (1958), for which Poitier was nominated for an Academy Award, were frequently controversial for the time and often addressed issues of racial equality both home and abroad.<\/p>\n

In 1961 Poitier would reprise a role he played on the Broadway stage for the Hollywood adaptation of \u201cA Raisin in the Sun<\/strong>.\u201d In 1963, Poitier\u2019s performance in \u201cLillies of the Field<\/strong>,\u201d earned him the Oscar for Best Actor, the first time a black man had been so honored.<\/p>\n

As noted by many, in 1967 Poitier was the top draw at the box office with unforgettable roles in ‘To Sir, with Love,’ ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ <\/strong>and ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’<\/strong><\/p>\n