Sidney Poitier faced down Hollywood stereotyping the only way he could - by turning his back.
When he was the industry's sole black leading man in the racially segregated 1950s, Poitier turned down "more than a few" roles he considered demeaning."I was here under my own terms, and I knew I had no power to influence except the power to say `No,' " Poitier said. "I didn't come into this business for the fame and fortune. I had points to make to myself and to the world on behalf of myself and my family."
Poitier, 71, made his first film in 1950 - the racial drama "No Way Out." He went on to star in such classics as "The Blackboard Jungle," "To Sir, With Love," "In the Heat of the Night" and "Lilies of the Field," which in 1963 made him the only black to win the Academy Award as best actor.