Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier, 1964
Sidney Poitier was the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. His performance in Lilies of the Field was what secured him the award. He was known as a trailblazer in racial equality in the film industry. He refused to take on any stereotypical roles that were offered to him just because he was Black. With this type of thinking and perseverance, be became America’s first black film star. Poitier was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974, then served as the Bahamian ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and 2016.