Sidney Poitier is considered by many to be giant in Hollywood. First as an actor. Then as a director. And always, as a pioneer for African-Americans in the film industry.
His life and work are being recognized at the Black Perspectives Tribute Saturday as part of the 44th Chicago International Film Festival. Poitier will get the Lifetime Achievement Award during the celebration that will include a one-on-one interview with Linda Johnson Rice, CEO and President of Johnson Publishing Company.
Academy Award-winning actress (Dreamgirls) and Chicago native Jennifer Hudson will also be honored with the Artistic Achievement Award at Chase Auditorium.
Poitier is perhaps best-known for his role in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner because of its depiction of relationships between blacks and whites during the height of the Civil Rights movement.
Poitier was first nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award in 1958 (The Defiant Ones). In 1963, he broke the Academy's color barrier by becoming the first black man to win an Oscar for his role in Lilies of the Field.
.
