Items17The creator’s order
  1. 1In the Heat of the Night (1967)In the Heat of the Night (1967) 7.9/10 on IMDbReleased Aug 2, 1967A Philadelphia detective gets drawn into a murder investigation in Mississippi, and Poitier makes the disparity between his expertise and his treatment impossible to miss. Listen to how evenly Virgil Tibbs can give an answer when the people around him would rather hear anything else.0
  2. 2A Raisin in the Sun (1961)A Raisin in the Sun (1961) 8.0/10 on IMDbReleased May 28, 1961Walter Lee Younger sees a life-insurance payment as his chance to change his family's prospects. In the tight spaces of the apartment, Poitier has to sell Walter's hope and let the other Youngers show what that hope might cost them. Start here for his work alongside the actors who helped bring…0
  3. 3Buck and the Preacher (1972)Buck and the Preacher (1972) 6.6/10 on IMDbReleased Mar 17, 1972Poitier directed and played the wagon master guiding freed people west, with Harry Belafonte as his unreliable partner. Belafonte gets to be funny while Poitier holds the undertaking together. Start here to see them make the western a vehicle for Black characters to choose where they're going and…0
  4. 4Lilies of the Field (1963)Lilies of the Field (1963) 7.5/10 on IMDbReleased Jun 4, 1963Poitier became the first Black performer to win the Best Actor Oscar for playing Homer Smith. The traveling worker finds himself building a chapel for nuns, and the pleasure is in the small comic exasperations as his impatience gives way to an investment in what he's making.0
  5. 5No Way Out (1950)No Way Out (1950) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased Aug 16, 1950When a patient aims his racism at Dr. Luther Brooks, Poitier makes you feel the pressure of having to prove every decision under scrutiny. It is a bracing introduction to how he could hold the center of a scene without taking the bait.0
  6. 6Blackboard Jungle (1955)Blackboard Jungle (1955) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased Mar 25, 1955Poitier stands out among the students in a tough city school. Watch him here before To Sir, with Love. Taken together, the roles let you see how much he could communicate about a classroom from either side of the desk.0
  7. 7Edge of the City (1957)Edge of the City (1957) 7.2/10 on IMDbReleased Jan 4, 1957On the Manhattan docks, Poitier's supervisor befriends a drifter played by John Cassavetes. Their easy talk gives the workplace a life before the big confrontations arrive. It's an early chance to watch Poitier play friendship across the space between two people who have little reason to trust each…0
  8. 8The Defiant Ones (1958)The Defiant Ones (1958) 7.5/10 on IMDbReleased Aug 14, 1958Two fugitives, one Black and one white, are chained together. Poitier and Tony Curtis make every stop and change of direction feel like a fresh negotiation. The film brought Poitier his first Oscar nomination and makes a useful companion to In the Heat of the Night if you want to see two very…0
  9. 9Porgy and Bess (1959)Porgy and Bess (1959) 7.0/10 on IMDbReleased Jun 24, 1959Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge lead a lavish adaptation of the Gershwin opera. The chance to see its cast is part of the interest, and so is the disagreement over what Hollywood was asking them to portray. Some of the actors approached for the film found the material demeaning.0
  10. 10Paris Blues (1961)Paris Blues (1961) 6.7/10 on IMDbReleased Sep 27, 1961As a saxophonist in Paris, Poitier plays an American who has built a life abroad. The jazz setting gives him room for an easy informality, and it makes his reluctance to return to the United States feel like something everyday life has taught him. Pick this when you want a quieter argument about…0