Sidney Poitier was the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor. His willingness to stand up to racism made him both loved and hated in 1960s America. An Apple TV+ documentary honoring his life and legacy premieres September 23.
A trailer for the film, called simply Sidney, debuted Tuesday.
Stars share their thoughts of a trailblazer in Sidney Poitier documentary
Poitier has been called the first African-American film star. He got the first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor earned by a Black man for his role in The Defiant Ones in 1958. He won the Best Actor Oscar in Lilies of the Field in 1963. Other popular films he stared in include To Sir, with Love and In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
More than an actor, he was also an activist who used his fame to help the Civil Rights Movement in racially charged America.
The screen icon passed away in January 2022, and Oprah Winfrey is producing Sidney to honor his life. The documentary will be directed by Reginald Hudlin.
It will feature candid interviews with Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Robert Redford, Lenny Kravitz, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee and many more.
Sidney premieres Friday September 23 in theaters and on Apple TV+.
