My Favorite Actor

I don't have much respect for Hollywood, but I do have a favorite actor.

His name is Sidney Poitier. His most well-known movies are from the 1950s and '60s...though you may never have heard of any of them. While some of them are considered to be "classics" in the movie world, they're not very well known today.

What stands out most to me about Sidney Poitier, is that I've never seen him in a bad film, (and I've seen quite a few over the years...because I love him so much.) Yes, some of his movies do deal with harsh elements of life...but he always plays a man with strong character, and usually with with a strong moral fibre. He's always classy, graceful, and well spoken. His roles usually portray a strong character development, which is important to me when watching a movie. (I don't care for "fluffy" films that much.) :)

Here are just a few of my favorite Poitier films, that I would recommend you check out sometime... (You won't be disappointed!)

"Lilies of the Field" was one of the first Poitier movies I ever watched. I think I watched it with my grandmother on TCM, because whenever Grammie came to visit, we'd hook up to cable or satellite just so she'd have TCM (Turner Classic Movies) to watch while she crocheted. Oh, and she liked movie with nuns...

It's a great movie, about a drifter (played by Poitier) who finds himself driving through the American southwest, (in New Mexico or Arizona I believe.) He runs across an old mission, inhabited by some German nuns, who desperately want a church built for their impoverished, sparsely populated, mostly Hispanic community. Though he's reluctant to work for the sisters, (especially since they can't offer him any compensation,) he ends up getting very involved in the project, especially when opposition comes along. It's a very sweet movie, that'll leave you believing that there's hope for the human race after all.

Matt and I watched "A Raisin in the Sun" soon after we were married. Neither of us knew anything about it, or the famous play it was based on. However, we were totally taken into it after only a few minutes of watching.

The movie is set almost entirely in the family's tiny apartment and feels a lot like a play...however, the "claustrophobic" setting makes the characters stand out just that more vividly. It's about a large family living together in tight living quarters. There's the matriarchal mother, the head of the family, and her two children...a son and a daughter. The son (played by Poitier) is married with a son of his own, and continually creates schemes that will result in getting his family into a better financial situation...however hard he tries though, he never seems to get what he's looking for... The performances are simply stunning. By the end of the movie you feel like you know the family personally, it draws you in that much.

I saw "To Sir, With Love" with my Mom when I was young, but Matt and I watched it together just this weekend. (Yay, Netflix!) I remembered it being good, but watching it a second time I was stunned at how great it was!


In the movie, Poitier plays an inexperienced teacher, who gets his first job in a tough London ghetto, teaching extremely out of hand, rebellious high school seniors. As the movie progresses, he gets a hold of each and every student's mind and heart and becomes the teacher they'll never forget. It's a very powerful, moving movie, and I think my favorite role that I've seen Poitier play.

I hope that at some point in life, you'll get to watch a Poitier film, because when you finish watching one of his movies you walk away with the thought that you've just watched something really worthwhile...something meaningful. I just wish there were more movies out there today that gave that same feeling.