Sidney Poitier was the first black actor to win the Oscar for his role in Lilies of the Fields in 1963. He is considered by most to be one of the greatest actors of all time. He has acted in and directed a tremendous amount of films. He started his career on the stage acting in plays. Poitier used that as a launching pad and was able to be seen for movies. His personal character along with his acting ability was able to withstand all the hate he received because of his race. He has acted in and directed a tremendous amount of films for the big screen as well as television. A couple months ago I was watching Guess who's coming to dinner and it hit me that this movie was the beginning story of Barak Obama.
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In April 1997, Poitier was appointed as ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan, a position he currently holds. He is also the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO. During the period of 1998 to 2003, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company.