Grace. Elegance. Pride. Defiance. Pioneer. Any one, or all, of these words describe the character of Sidney Poitier, the trailblazing Black actor who almost single-handedly changed America’s perception of people of color in the movies.
Before Poitier became a star, Blacks were typically depicted in subservient or inconspicuous roles in motion pictures. Poitier changed that, portraying doctors, detectives, and teachers, among other roles. He infused all of his characters with dignity, principle, and integrity. It would not be an understatement to say many of the movies the Bahamian-born actor starred or appeared in were crucial to the advancement of civil rights. (Read about Martin Luther King and the 49 other most important civil rights leaders of the 20th century.)
From his first screen appearance as an uncredited extra in 1947’s “Sepia Cinderella” through his last feature film, “The Jackal,” in 1997, Poitier appeared in some 44 films (not counting documentaries and shorts) and directed nine, including four he didn’t act in.
To determine the best of these, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of December 2021. Only films in which Sidney Poitier is listed among the top four billed actors on IMDb were considered for inclusion. (Director credits also come from IMDb.)
In 1958, Poitier became the first Black actor to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar (for his role in “The Defiant Ones”). Greater box-office success followed. His star turn in “Lilies of the Field” won him the Academy Award in 1964 for Best Actor, making him the first Black actor to win that honor.
Probably no actor had a better year in 1967 than Poitier did, with movie hits “To Sir, With Love,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” All of those films sent a resounding message about racial tolerance and understanding.
Critics were fans of his work as well. Six of his films have received a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 90% or above. (These are the best movies you’ll remember if you grew up in the ‘60s.)
Click here to see the 25 best Sidney Poitier movies
Poitier was well aware of his historical importance to American culture. He became a committed activist for social justice throughout his life, which ended on Jan. 7 at the age of 94.
25. The Organization (1971)
> IMDb user rating: 6/10 (1,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 28% (447 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (5 reviews)
> Directed by: Don Medford
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24. The Jackal (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (112,338 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (64,913 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 23% (30 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones
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23. They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (3,546 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36% (2,291 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (5 reviews)
> Directed by: Gordon Douglas
22. Little Nikita (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 6/10 (5,399 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 46% (5,198 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 54% (13 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Benjamin
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21. Band of Angels (1957)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (2,246 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (722 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (5 reviews)
> Directed by: Raoul Walsh
20. Duel at Diablo (1966)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (3,063 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (250 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
> Directed by: Ralph Nelson
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19. Buck and the Preacher (1972)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (1,804 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (2,032 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
> Directed by: Joseph Sargent
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18. Paris Blues (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (3,053 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (602 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (12 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Ritt
17. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (2,178 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (1,393 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (9 reviews)
> Directed by: Sidney Poitier
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16. A Piece of the Action (1977)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (1,176 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (1,886 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
> Directed by: Sidney Poitier
15. Let’s Do It Again (1975)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (2,930 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (2,753 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (8 reviews)
> Directed by: Sidney Poitier
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14. Shoot to Kill (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (12,459 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (6,108 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (14 reviews)
> Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
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13. Edge of the City (1957)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (2,954 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (729 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
> Directed by: Martin Ritt
12. The Slender Thread (1965)
> IMDb user rating: 7/10 (2,068 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (365 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (6 reviews)
> Directed by: Sydney Pollack
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11. Pressure Point (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (1,386 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (100 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
> Directed by: Hubert Cornfield
10. Sneakers (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (56,406 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (39,372 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (53 reviews)
> Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson
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9. Porgy and Bess (1959)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (1,644 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (1,066 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (7 reviews)
> Directed by: Otto Preminger
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8. The Bedford Incident (1965)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (4,992 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (1,250 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (13 reviews)
> Directed by: James B. Harris
7. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (42,111 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (38,278 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (37 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kramer
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6. No Way Out (1950)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (4,549 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (11 reviews)
> Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
5. Lilies of the Field (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (9,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (6,155 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (24 reviews)
> Directed by: Ralph Nelson
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4. The Defiant Ones (1958)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (14,424 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (5,165 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (53 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kramer
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3. A Patch of Blue (1965)
> IMDb user rating: 8/10 (7,966 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (5,788 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (9 reviews)
> Directed by: Guy Green
2. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 8/10 (7,907 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (7,176 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (18 reviews)
> Directed by: Daniel Petrie
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1. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (70,923 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (23,226 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Norman Jewison
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