Guess who came to dinner? We're so glad he did! Quiz

Answer: Miami

Sidney Poitier's parents were visiting Miami from the Bahamas in 1927, and Poitier arrived early. Because of his premature birth - three months early - he was not expected to survive and his parents remained in Miami until he was strong enough to travel. His early life was spent firstly on Cat Island in the Bahamas, and then in Nassau; but he returned to the USA when he was about 15. After a short time trying to find work as an actor, he joined the army.

This question was brought into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

Answer: To escape from homelessness

At the age of 16 Sidney Poitier lied about his age to escape homelessness by joining the army. At the age of 15, his parents sent him to live with his brother in Miami, however Sidney struggled to adjust to the harsh Jim Crow laws of the south. He soon left his brother's home and moved to New York City in the hopes of becoming an actor for the American Negro Theater. Sidney's struggles with reading were a barrier to his finding employment as an actor. He worked washing dishes, but was still so poor he would seek shelter in a local orphanage. In 1943 an opportunity arose for him to lie about his age and join the army for a warm bed and hot meals. However, Sidney only served for 10 months in the army at a Long Island mental hospital for shell shocked veterans. He was disturbed by the horrendous treatment of the patients, so he acted like he was mentally ill himself and convinced a psychiatrist to approve his discharge. He then went back to washing dishes and worked to improve his reading and speech until he was able to land a role on the stage.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who deeply respects people who work tirelessly to achieve their dreams.

Answer: Tone deaf

Call it typecasting, if you wish, but there was a strong expectation that if you were a black person involved in theatre, at the time, you could sing and that you could make all the right moves on a dance floor. Sidney's tone deafness made him unable to sing and, as a consequence, he found himself unpopular with audiences. The fact that he had a strong Bahamian accent did not help his cause either.
Poitier stepped away from theatre for a period of six months and immersed himself in modifying his speech patterns. He used "Sir Silken Speech", radio personality Norman Brokenshire, as his inspiration, and began to model his own voice in the same manner. It worked. After six months, he returned to the theatre and was given a leading role of Probulos, in the Broadway production of "Lysistrata" (1946). Despite the show lasting a mere four nights, his performance was noticed and was immediately given an invitation to be Lester in the 1947 production of "Anna Lucasta".

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who wishes he was tone deaf so that he could appreciate his own singing.

Answer: The Defiant Ones

Noah Cullen (Poitier) and John 'Joker' Jackson (Curtis) are prisoners shackled together after their prison transport truck crashes and the pair manage to escape. The plot follows how they evade their pursuers and are forced to work together, and how their initial enmity turns to respect and friendship. Eventually they manage to break the chains but after Noah is double crossed, Joker goes to save him. They then attempt to escape on a train and I won't spoil the ending! The film received nine Academy Award nominations, including for Best Actor for both Poitier and Curtis, Best Picture and Best Director and won two of these: for Best Story And Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Curtis insisted that Poitier's name appear above his in the billing, the first time a black actor had received this honor.

This question was written and edited for presentation by MikeMaster99 who clearly remembers watching this film (while in his twenties) and being incredibly impressed (perhaps for the first time?) by the art of acting portrayed by Poitier and Curtis and how this heightened the natural tension of many scenes.

Answer: Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll was a star of both film and television, with a career that lasted for over 60 years. She got her break into the industry in 1954 when she won the talent contest show "Chance of a Lifetime" and secured her first film role - in "Carmen Jones" - in the same year. However, she is probably best known for playing the title role in "Julia", which aired on NBC from 1968 to 1971 and earned her a Golden Globe award for best female TV star.

Carroll also appeared in the soap opera "Dynasty" as Blake Carrington's half-sister Dominique Deveraux; won a Tony award for her performance in the stage musical "No Strings" in 1962; received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for the 1974 film 'Claudine'; and briefly hosted her own variety show on CBS in 1976.

Her affair with Sidney Poitier began in 1959 while she was still married to her first husband Monte Kay. Carroll divorced her husband in 1962, but Poitier took a further three years to divorce Juanita Hardy and their relationship ended in 1968.

This slightly gossipy question was clandestinely compiled by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Lilies of the Field

Directed and produced by Ralph Nelson, the 1963 film 'Lilies of the Field' tells the story of how handyman Homer Smith (Poitier) eventually builds a chapel in the Arizona desert for a group of displaced nuns from Europe. The nuns believe that Smith ('Schmidt' in their native German) was divinely sent to them for this task and the interplay between Homer and Mother Maria (Lilia Skala) is a focal point of the film. The film title is taken from Christ's 'Sermon on the Mount'. The film received five nominations for Academy Awards including best supporting actress for Skalia and Best Picture. Poitier received the Best Actor Award for his role as Smith, being the first African-American man to achieve this honor. The story was based on the 1962 novel of the same name by William Barrett.

This question was slowly constructed by MikeMaster99 who wonders whether he would have made the same choices as Homer did in the very unlikely circumstances of being in his position!

Answer: Director

Just another of the breakthrough moments in the life of Sidney Poitier, the comedy 'Stir Crazy', made for Columbia Pictures, sold more at the box office in North America than any other film by a black director as of 2017. Though not the first movie he directed ('Stir Crazy' was sixth film he'd directed in nine years) it was one of the first movies deliberately aimed at a black audience. The movie was produced by Hannah Weinstein, and written by Bruce Jay Friedman.

This question was ushered into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

Answer: 6

Poitier was married to Juanita Hardy from 1950 through to 1965 and the couple had four daughters in that time. He would marry Joanna Shimkus in 1976. The pair would share their days together until Sidney's passing in 2022 and share the raising of two girls between them.
His daughters by his first marriage were Beverly, who became an artist and a jewellery designer with her own line. In 2002 she turned her hand to writing fiction and published the novel "Nana". Pamela took to acting and featured in films such as "Stir Crazy" (1980), "Air America" (1990) and "The Jackal" with Bruce Willis in 1997. Daughter Sherri would also become an actor and spent some time as a chef and their youngest daughter, Gina, who'd developed a plus size clothing business would, sadly, pass away in 2018.
Sidney's daughters with Joanna, Anika and Sydney, would both move toward the acting profession. Anika's most notable role was in "Swordfish" in 2001 and, in 2007, she directed the film "Black Irish". Sydney had roles in the television shows "Joan of Arcadia" (2003) and "Veronica Mars" (2004) among others and also appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" in 2007.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who hopes you nailed the hint... handful being five, more than...

Answer: It was his last feature movie role.

"The Last Brickmaker in America" was Sidney Poitier's last major role in the movies. He played the role of Henry Cobb who had worked as a brickmaker for over 50 years. The passing of his wife, combined with the automation of brick production, destroyed Henry's passion for brickmaking. Fortunately for him, a young boy came into his life, seeking shelter from his troubles. Becoming a mentor for the child helped Henry find new meaning in life. Sidney did indeed direct several films in the 1970s and acted with his daughter Sydney in the 1998 TV film "Free of Eden". Poitier stepped away from acting to become an ambassador for his home country of The Bahamas.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who is sad that he never got to meet Sidney Poitier.

Answer: Barack Obama

The "Presidential Medal of Freedom" is the highest civilian award in the United States, bestowed by the President upon individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. In 2009, President Obama awarded the medal to Poitier and fifteen other recipients (including Sandra Day O'Connor, Desmond Tutu, and Stephen Hawking) for "breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens". President Obama remarked that each of the recipients were "agents of change". Poitier was singled out for his artistic and humanitarian achievements breaking racial barriers as the first African American actor to be nominated for and to win a Best Actor Academy Award.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's JCSon because he just wanted a piece of the action.