Sidney Poitier (1927–2022) was an actor and director. He was best known for his groundbreaking and trailblazing work in the 1950s and 1960s. His breakthrough performances in film include The Defiant Ones (1958), Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Paris Blues (1961), Lilies of the Field (1963), A Patch of Blue (1965), To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (all 1967).
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Sepia Cinderella | Extra | Uncredited | |
| 1949 | From Whence Cometh My Help | Himself | Documentary | |
| 1950 | No Way Out | Dr. Luther Brooks | [1] | |
| 1951 | Cry, the Beloved Country | Reverend Msimangu | ||
| 1952 | Red Ball Express | Corporal Andrew Robertson | ||
| 1954 | Go Man Go | Inman Jackson | ||
| 1955 | Blackboard Jungle | Gregory W. Miller | ||
| 1956 | Good-bye, My Lady | Gates Watson | ||
| 1957 | Edge of the City | Tommy Tyler | ||
| 1957 | Something of Value | Kimani Wa Karanja | ||
| 1957 | Band of Angels | Rau-Ru Ponce de Leon | ||
| 1957 | Obam | |||
| 1958 | Virgin Island | Marcus | ||
| 1958 | Noah Cullen | |||
| 1959 | Porgy and Bess | Porgy | ||
| 1960 | All the Young Men | Sergeant Eddie Towler | ||
| 1961 | Walter Lee Younger | [2] | ||
| 1961 | Paris Blues | Eddie Cook | ||
| 1962 | Pressure Point | Doctor, Chief Psychiatrist | ||
| 1963 | King Aly Mansuh | |||
| 1963 | Lilies of the Field | Homer Smith | ||
| 1965 | Ben Munceford | |||
| 1965 | Simon of Cyrene | |||
| 1965 | Gordon Ralfe | |||
| 1965 | Alan Newell | |||
| 1966 | Duel at Diablo | Toller, Contract Horse Dealer | ||
| 1967 | To Sir, with Love | Mr. Mark Thackeray | [3] | |
| 1967 | In the Heat of the Night | Detective Virgil Tibbs | [4] | |
| 1967 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Dr. John Wade Prentice | [5] | |
| 1968 | For Love of Ivy | Jack Parks | ||
| 1969 | Jason Higgs | |||
| 1970 | The Narrator | Documentary | ||
| 1970 | They Call Me Mister Tibbs! | Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs | ||
| 1971 | Brother John | John Kane | ||
| 1971 | Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs | |||
| 1972 | Buck and the Preacher | Buck | also director | |
| 1973 | Dr. Matt Younger | also director | ||
| 1974 | Uptown Saturday Night | Steve Jackson | also director | |
| 1975 | Shack Twala | |||
| 1975 | Let's Do it Again | Clyde Williams | also director | |
| 1977 | Manny Durrell | also director | ||
| 1979 | The Narrator | Short subject | ||
| 1988 | Shoot to Kill | FBI Agent Warren Stantin | ||
| 1988 | Little Nikita | Roy Parmenter | ||
| 1992 | Sneakers | Donald Crease | ||
| 1994 | Himself | Documentary | ||
| 1996 | Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick | Himself | Documentary | |
| 1997 | FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston | |||
| 2001 | Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey | The Narrator | Documentary | |
| The Last Brickmaker in America | Henry Cobb | |||
| 2004 | Tell Them Who You Are | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2008 | Himself | Documentary | ||
| 2022 | Sidney | Himself (posthumous appearance) | Documentary | |
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Buck and the Preacher | |
| 1973 | ||
| 1974 | Uptown Saturday Night | |
| 1975 | Let's Do it Again | |
| 1977 | ||
| 1980 | Stir Crazy | |
| 1982 | Hanky Panky | |
| 1985 | Fast Forward | |
| 1990 | Ghost Dad |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | CBS Television Workshop | Performer | Episode: Careless Love | |
| 1952 | Omnibus | Performer | Episode: The Trial of Anne Boleyn | |
| 1962 | The Jack Paar Tonight Show | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 1969 | The Mike Douglas Show | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 1972 | The Dick Cavett Show | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 1972 | The New Bill Cosby Show | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 1975 | The Merv Griffin Show | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 1979 | The Mike Douglas Show | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 1991 | Separate but Equal | Thurgood Marshall | Television film | |
| 1995 | Children of the Dust | Gypsy Smith | 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | To Sir, with Love II | Mark Thackeray | Television film | |
| 1997 | Mandela and de Klerk | Nelson Mandela | Television film | |
| 1998 | Free of Eden | Will Cleamons | Television film | |
| 1998 | David and Lisa | Dr. Jack Miller | Television film | |
| 1999 | The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn | Noah Dearborn | Television film | |
| 2000–2007 | The Oprah Winfrey Show | Himself | 5 episodes | |
| 2001 | The Last Brickmaker in America | Henry Cobb | Television film | |
| 2008 | Larry King Live | Himself | 1 episode |