The fine actor will be missed. One of my favorite lines from his movies, “They call me Mr. Tibbs”, is iconic.
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Sidney Poitier has passed away.
- Thread starter JamesMike
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A classy man, terrific actor and an amazing role model.
Also iconic is the superb movie In The Heat Of The Night.
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Oh no... Agree on all accounts. He will be missed. RIP.
Very sad news, he was an amazing actor and person and had a great life.
Sidney Poitier died today -- and I owe my writing career to him. When I was in my early 20s, I played tennis at Poinsettia Park. A lot of celebrities hung out there; I went for the competition -- there were a lot of good tennis players there.
I had written a 50 or so page novella that I thought should be a screenplay. Truth be told, I was intimidated by the material and avoiding the commitment to start the screenplay. I went to Poinsettia Park a few days in a row until Sidney Poitier showed up. I ran over, manuscript in hand, and asked him to read it. He sort of knew me from the park, and in a generous act that would shortly change my life, he agreed to read it. I was too young to know how unusual this was. I was just excited, and gave him my phone number. He called a few days later, "This work is very good," he told me, "And I'm not going to buy it." "Why?" I asked. "Because if I buy it, you're out. I'll hire a professional screenwriter and you will have nothing further to do with the project. If you write the screenplay, you will have a career." I was disappointed, and it took me a few months, but I finally got my guts together and wrote the screenplay. It took me 9 months to write. I was desperate to make it perfect and could only see what was wrong, but I stuck it out thanks in part to Poitier's encouraging words.
I got over my fears, finished the screenplay, and sold it a few weeks after I finished it to 20th Century Fox. It was the piece that launched my career. I owe Mr. Poitier a big thanks!
I had written a 50 or so page novella that I thought should be a screenplay. Truth be told, I was intimidated by the material and avoiding the commitment to start the screenplay. I went to Poinsettia Park a few days in a row until Sidney Poitier showed up. I ran over, manuscript in hand, and asked him to read it. He sort of knew me from the park, and in a generous act that would shortly change my life, he agreed to read it. I was too young to know how unusual this was. I was just excited, and gave him my phone number. He called a few days later, "This work is very good," he told me, "And I'm not going to buy it." "Why?" I asked. "Because if I buy it, you're out. I'll hire a professional screenwriter and you will have nothing further to do with the project. If you write the screenplay, you will have a career." I was disappointed, and it took me a few months, but I finally got my guts together and wrote the screenplay. It took me 9 months to write. I was desperate to make it perfect and could only see what was wrong, but I stuck it out thanks in part to Poitier's encouraging words.
I got over my fears, finished the screenplay, and sold it a few weeks after I finished it to 20th Century Fox. It was the piece that launched my career. I owe Mr. Poitier a big thanks!
Great story. Thanks for sharing. As for Sidney Poitier, the world lost a great actor and even better person today. He was a class act his entire life. RIP.
He was also the first African American to direct a film that grossed over $100 million at the box office: Stir Crazy in 1980, starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.
Goodbye to a legend.
Goodbye to a legend.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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- The Defiant Ones
- Lilies of the Field
- Heat of the Night
- The Bedford Incident