MOVIE MEMORIES: Paying tribute to trailblazing Hollywood screen icon Sydney Poitier

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Hello again fans of the silver screen, my latest 'Movie Memories' article for Lanarkshire Live is dedicated to the memory of cinema icon Sidney Poitier, with a belated thank you to Lulu for supplying the stills from To Sir With Love.Sidney Poitier was a native of Cat Island in the Bahamas and born two months prematurely when his parents were visiting Miami to sell tomatoes.His early years were characterised by poverty and deprivation.

At 18, he moved to New York, took on menial jobs and slept in a bus terminal toilet.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Becoming a member of the American Negro Theatre enabled Poitier to develop his performing skills, which lead to his film debut in the epic drama No Way Out at Twentieth Century Fox.

Poitier’s rise to the top in Hollywood happened to coincide with the American Civil Rights movement, as Poitier was making his debut in films.To the movement, Poitier was to be a symbol - the first black superstar and the personification of the black man on the screen.He came to films on the crest of Hollywood’s post-war movies with controversial racial themes, but his early flicks brought him little opportunity in what seemed to be a dead end.