Sidney Poitier becomes first African-American to win an Oscar for best actor.
(Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Hollywood could not ignore the talents of African-American actor Sidney Poitier. On April 13, 1963, he became the first Black to win an Oscar for Best Actor. Poitier was given the high honor for his performance in the film Lilies of the Field.
In the movie, Poitier played a traveling handyman who lives on the road and comes across a community of nuns who hire him to do small jobs and to build them a chapel.
Poitier led the way for other Black actors to win Oscars for leading roles including Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx and Forest Whitaker.
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.
On Facebook
On Twitter
