Guess Who's Tuesday's pick...

Sidney Poitier has always been one of my favourite actors. He started acting in 1950, mainly cast in supporting roles until he won an Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1963). The win marked the first Oscar awarded to a black actor and made Poitier cinema's first African American superstar. Handsome and unassuming, he brought dignity to the portrayal of noble and intelligent characters while consciously defying racial stereotyping. In 1967 he not only starred in the biggest boxoffice hit of the year, but the #2 and #3 hits, as well (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night & To Sir, With Love).

What Sidney Poitier did was to become the first Black actor to gain widespread acceptance by audiences of all races purely for his acting ability and screen presence.

Not bad for 80!