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Rank 113Up 3
#11 in Legendary Movie Stars
of 14 ranked entries
Sidney Poitier
1927–2022
Poitier became the first Black actor to win Best Actor and, more importantly, the first to headline major Hollywood productions at all, carrying the commercial weight of that position largely alone for most of a decade. Recorded specifics: breakout year 1963, signature role Homer Smith, Lilies of the Field, oscars 1. Panel highlighted first Black performer to win the Best Actor Oscar, carried Hollywood’s first Black-led leading roles largely alone and chose roles with deliberate social and political weight. The reservation on record is industry limitations of the era constrained the range of roles available to him.
TrailblazerLeading man
Score breakdown
How Sidney Poitier earned 78
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Legendary Movie Stars.
- Screen presence & techniqueweight 30%
- 77.0
- Body of workweight 25%
- 78.5
- Cultural & historical impactweight 25%
- 80.6
- Enduring legacyweight 20%
- 75.6
“His 1964 Best Actor win would not be matched by another Black actor for thirty-eight years, until Denzel Washington in 2002.”
— Top 49, on Legendary Movie Stars
On the record
Recorded detail
| Breakout year | 1963 |
|---|---|
| Signature role | Homer Smith, Lilies of the Field |
| Oscars | 1 |
| Critic score | 9.0 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- First Black performer to win the Best Actor Oscar
- Carried Hollywood’s first Black-led leading roles largely alone
- Chose roles with deliberate social and political weight
Where it gives ground
- Industry limitations of the era constrained the range of roles available to him
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
From the same list
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Rank 08Cary Grant
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Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.