Sidney Poitier left behind a legacy of landmark roles, but some smaller gems as well
(CNN)Sidney Poitier left behind a legacy of landmark performances, from his Oscar win for "Lilies of the Field" to the Oscar-winning "In the Heat of the Night," the latter coming in a year, 1967, that also saw him star in "To Sir, With Love" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."The richness of the filmography assembled by Poitier, who died Thursday at the age of 94, makes it difficult to choose a favorite film or role. On different days, that might be "Porgy and Bess;" "A Raisin in the Sun," reprising his part in from the play about a struggling Chicago family; or "The Defiant Ones," which earned him his first best-actor Oscar nomination as an escapee on the run chained to a Southern bigot played by Tony Curtis.