In the Heat of the Night

Sidney Poitier

Poitier starred in a number of films designed to demolish stereotypes about blacks and helped foster a climate for real-world change.

He was the first black man to win an Academy Award, for his role in "Lilies of the Field." He won a second Oscar for lifetime ... moreachievement in 2002.

Among his most prominent parts: the fiancé of a white woman in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," a teacher who earns the respect of his white students in "To Sir, With Love," and a Philadelphia detective investigating a murder in a racist Southern town in "In the Heat of the Night."

Poitier is also known for directing such comedies as "Uptown Saturday Night" and "Stir Crazy." He won a Grammy for best spoken word album for his recording of his autobiography, "The Measure of a Man." (Camera Press/Retna Ltd.)