Want to know the best Sidney Poitier movies? How about the worst Sidney Poitier movies? Curious about Sidney Poitier’s box office grosses or which Sidney Poitier movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Sidney Poitier movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information. This page comes from a request by my mother-in-law, mimic. She suggested Sidney Poitier many months ago. Sorry mimic that it took so long to finally produce this hub….but here it is for your viewing pleasure.
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) could be considered the Jackie Robinson of Hollywood. His career broke down numerous racial barriers. Poitier’s performance in 1958’s The Defiant Ones, earned him an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor. His nomination was the first time a black actor had every earned a nomination in the Best Actor category. Five years later he would become the first black actor to win the Best Actor Oscar® for 1963’s Lillies of the Field. In 1967, Poitier had three monster hits and was voted as top box office star of the year….once again a first for a black actor. And finally as the 1970s rolled along, Poitier turned his focus to behind the camera. Poitier would direct nine films from 1972 to 1990.
From pbs.org “More than an actor (and Academy-Award® winner), Sidney Poitier is an artist. A writer and director, a thinker and critic, a humanitarian and diplomat, his presence as a cultural icon has long been one of protest and humanity. His career defined and documented the modern history of blacks in American film, and his depiction of proud and powerful characters was and remains revolutionary.”
His IMDb page shows 55 acting credits and 9 directing credits from 1947-2015. This page will rank Sidney Poitier movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television appearances,cameos and straight to DVD movies were not included in the rankings.
Sidney Poitier Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1967
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
AA Best Picture Win
1967
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
AA Best Picture Nom
1965
A Patch of Blue (1965)
1967
To Sir, with Love (1967)
1955
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
1958
The Defiant Ones (1958)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1975
Let's Do It Again (1975)
1975
Let's Do It Again (1975)
1980
Stir Crazy (1980)
1963
Lilies of the Field (1963)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Win
1959
Porgy and Bess (1959)
1992
Sneakers (1992)
1965
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
1957
Band of Angels (1957)
1974
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
1974
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
1950
No Way Out (1950)
1961
A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
1988
Shoot to Kill (1988)
1957
Something of Value (1957)
1968
For Love of Ivy (1968)
1965
The Bedford Incident (1965)
1956
Good-bye, My Lady (1956)
1965
The Slender Thread (1965)
1957
Edge of the City (1957)
1977
A Piece of the Action (1977)
1962
Pressure Point (1962)
1961
Paris Blues (1961)
1997
The Jackal (1997)
1972
Buck and the Preacher (1972)
1954
Go Man Go (1954)
1958
Our Virgin Island (1958)
1960
All the Young Men (1960)
1970
They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
1988
Little Nikita (1988)
1964
The Long Ships (1964)
1997
Mandela and de Klerk (1997)
Showtime Movies
1973
A Warm December (1973)
1966
Duel at Diablo (1966)
1952
Red Ball Express (1952)
1969
The Lost Man (1969)
1971
The Organization (1971)
1951
Cry, the Beloved Country (1951)
1971
Brother John (1971)
1975
The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)
1957
The Mark of the Hawk (1957)
1982
Hanky Panky (1982)
1990
Ghost Dad (1990)
1985
Fast Forward (1985)
Sidney Poitier Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies any way you want.
- Sort Sidney Poitier movies by movie title and movie trailers.
- Sort Sidney Poitier movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Sidney Poitier movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort Sidney Poitier movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort Sidney Poitier movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Sidney Poitier movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Sidney Poitier movie won.
- Sort Sidney Poitier movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score |
| 1 | In the Heat of the Night (1967) AA Best Picture Win |
Rod Steiger & Warren Oates |
24.00 | 213.8 | 213.8 | 11 | 84 | 07 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 2 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) AA Best Picture Nom |
Spencer Tracy & Katherine Hepburn |
52.50 | 467.7 | 467.7 | 4 | 71 | 10 / 02 | 98.7 | |
| 5 | A Patch of Blue (1965) | Shelley Winters | 17.00 | 180.0 | 180.0 | 12 | 87 | 05 / 01 | 98.4 | |
| 3 | To Sir, with Love (1967) | Judy Geesen | 47.80 | 425.4 | 425.4 | 7 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 98.0 | |
| 6 | Blackboard Jungle (1955) | Glenn Ford | 15.60 | 323.3 | 323.3 | 13 | 75 | 04 / 00 | 97.0 | |
| 4 | The Defiant Ones (1958) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Tony Curtis | 7.90 | 141.2 | 141.2 | 27 | 77 | 09 / 02 | 96.1 | |
| 7 | Let's Do It Again (1975) | Bill Cosby | 35.80 | 188.0 | 188.0 | 15 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 8 | Let's Do It Again (1975) | Sidney Poitier & Bill Cosby |
35.80 | 188.0 | 188.0 | 15 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 8 | Stir Crazy (1980) | Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor |
101.30 | 420.0 | 420.0 | 4 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 94.3 | |
| 10 | Lilies of the Field (1963) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Win |
Lilia Skala | 8.10 | 102.1 | 102.1 | 34 | 85 | 05 / 01 | 93.8 | |
| 9 | Porgy and Bess (1959) | Dorothy Dandridge & Sammy Davis, Jr. |
8.30 | 148.9 | 148.9 | 28 | 77 | 04 / 01 | 93.8 | |
| 12 | Sneakers (1992) | Robert Redford | 51.40 | 133.6 | 133.6 | 30 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 90.7 | |
| 13 | The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) | Charlton Heston & Claude Rains |
18.80 | 198.9 | 287.5 | 11 | 50 | 05 / 00 | 90.2 | |
| 14 | Band of Angels (1957) | Clark Gable | 7.10 | 137.5 | 173.5 | 29 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 88.6 | |
| 15 | Uptown Saturday Night (1974) | Bill Cosby & Richard Pryor |
22.40 | 129.3 | 129.3 | 27 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 87.0 | |
| 16 | Uptown Saturday Night (1974) | Sidney Poitier & Bill Cosby |
22.40 | 129.3 | 129.3 | 27 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 87.0 | |
| 17 | No Way Out (1950) | Richard Widmark | 3.90 | 86.6 | 86.6 | 83 | 77 | 01 / 00 | 85.9 | |
| 16 | A Raisin in the Sun (1961) | Claudia McNeil | 3.40 | 49.9 | 49.9 | 66 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 84.3 | |
| 19 | Shoot to Kill (1988) | Tom Berenger | 29.30 | 76.9 | 76.9 | 37 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 81.8 | |
| 20 | Something of Value (1957) | Rock Hudson | 6.30 | 121.0 | 121.0 | 38 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 81.3 | |
| 23 | For Love of Ivy (1968) | Abbey Lincoln & Beau Bridges |
15.90 | 130.7 | 130.7 | 19 | 49 | 01 / 00 | 78.8 | |
| 21 | The Bedford Incident (1965) | Richard Widmark & Donald Sutherland |
2.60 | 27.1 | 27.1 | 90 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 76.7 | |
| 23 | Good-bye, My Lady (1956) | Walter Brennan | 1.40 | 27.4 | 29.2 | 159 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 75.4 | |
| 24 | The Slender Thread (1965) | Anne Bancroft | 3.40 | 35.7 | 35.7 | 74 | 73 | 02 / 00 | 74.2 | |
| 23 | Edge of the City (1957) | John Cassavetes | 2.20 | 42.9 | 42.9 | 108 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 72.8 | |
| 26 | A Piece of the Action (1977) | Bill Cosby | 14.60 | 70.6 | 70.6 | 49 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 72.6 | |
| 27 | Pressure Point (1962) | Bobby Darin & Peter Falk |
2.30 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 94 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 71.0 | |
| 28 | Paris Blues (1961) | Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward |
3.10 | 45.8 | 45.8 | 70 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 66.4 | |
| 29 | The Jackal (1997) | Bruce Willis & Richard Gere |
54.90 | 129.0 | 374.2 | 32 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 65.8 | |
| 29 | Buck and the Preacher (1972) | Harry Belafonte | 9.40 | 59.6 | 59.6 | 41 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
| 30 | Go Man Go (1954) | Dane Clark | 4.00 | 93.7 | 93.7 | 81 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 64.5 | |
| 32 | Our Virgin Island (1958) | John Cassavetes | 2.30 | 41.1 | 41.1 | 99 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 62.8 | |
| 34 | All the Young Men (1960) | Alan Ladd | 4.10 | 64.7 | 64.7 | 67 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 61.1 | |
| 35 | They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) | Martin Landau | 7.10 | 49.5 | 49.5 | 43 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 59.9 | |
| 33 | Little Nikita (1988) | River Phoenix | 1.70 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 165 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 57.6 | |
| 37 | The Long Ships (1964) | Richard Widmark | 5.20 | 60.0 | 60.0 | 55 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 56.1 | |
| 36 | Mandela and de Klerk (1997) Showtime Movies |
Michael Caine | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 281 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 53.4 | |
| 38 | A Warm December (1973) | Ester Anderson | 4.80 | 29.5 | 29.5 | 66 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 53.1 | |
| 39 | Duel at Diablo (1966) | James Garner | 3.80 | 36.8 | 36.8 | 69 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 50.8 | |
| 41 | Red Ball Express (1952) | Jeff Chandler | 4.20 | 81.7 | 81.7 | 83 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 50.1 | |
| 40 | The Lost Man (1969) | Joanna Shimkus | 5.30 | 40.1 | 40.1 | 52 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 47.4 | |
| 44 | The Organization (1971) | Barbara McNair | 8.20 | 53.5 | 53.5 | 44 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 43.2 | |
| 44 | Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) | Canada Lee | 1.10 | 24.6 | 24.6 | 196 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 41.7 | |
| 42 | Brother John (1971) | Will Geer & Bradford Dillman |
2.40 | 15.8 | 15.8 | 106 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 41.1 | |
| 45 | The Wilby Conspiracy (1975) | Michael Caine | 3.00 | 15.9 | 15.9 | 87 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 24.2 | |
| 46 | The Mark of the Hawk (1957) | Eartha Kitt | 1.90 | 36.3 | 36.3 | 118 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 23.6 | |
| 47 | Hanky Panky (1982) | Gene Wilder | 9.80 | 36.0 | 36.0 | 62 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 23.0 | |
| 48 | Ghost Dad (1990) | Bill Cosby | 24.70 | 63.0 | 63.0 | 50 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 13.4 | |
| 49 | Fast Forward (1985) | John Scott Clough | 2.80 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 130 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 2.4 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Sidney Poitier
1. On the American Film Institutes 25 Greatest Male Stars of All-Time poll….they ranked Sidney Poitier as the 22nd greatest star.
2. If you have ever played the Kevin Bacon game….Sidney Poitier is a great source of possible links….check out some of his co-stars. Richard Widmark(3 times), Glenn Ford, Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Rod Steiger, James Garner, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Shelly Winters, Richard Gere, Bruce Willis, Robert Redford, Tony Curtis, Michael Caine and Sammy Davis Jr.
3. Sidney Poitier has been married twice in his life. His first marriage to Juanita Hardy lasted from 1950-1965….they have 4 daughters. His second marriage was in 1976 to Joanna Shimkus…. they also have 2 daughters.
4. Since retiring from acting, Poitier has been very busy. From 1998 to 2003 he was on the Disney Board of Directors. He has also been the Bahamas Ambassador to Japan and UNESCO since 1997…..he still holds that position.
5. In 2002 he was awarded a Honorary Oscar®….”For his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence”
6. Sidney Poitier was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1974. Sidney Poitier was one of the founders of First Artist Production Company along with his friends Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen.
7. Sidney Poitier was nominated for two Oscars® for acting and six Golden Globe® nominations for acting. He won one Oscar® and one Golden Globe® and they were for the same movie….1963’s Lillies of the Field.
8. When Sidney Poitier appeared as a high school student in his first box office hit …..1955’s The Blackboard Jungle….he was almost 30 years old.
9. Of all the movies Sidney Poitier has appeared in….his personal favorite is 1967’s In the Heat of the Night. Speaking of 1967….for the first time ever in doing these hubs….an actor’s top three Movie Score movies came from one year….1967. #1 Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, #2 In the Heat of the Night, and #3 To Sir With Love were all made in 1967.
10. Check out Sidney Poitier‘ career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Glad to see a review of Sidney Poitier’s life in films Cogerson.
Looking at his credits, I don’t think I’ve seen anything near enough of them, but I like him as an actor, and I’m particularly pleased to see ‘In the Heat of the Night’ feature so prominantly. For many many years that was my all-time favourite movie, and only lost that ranking because I’d seen it just too many times. Of course much of the success of that film comes from Rod Steiger’s brilliant portrayal of the complex white police chief, but the story line, and Poitier’s almost equally complex portrayal of Virgil Tibbs is also key. The relationship between the two of them – first contemptuous, then respectful, then almost engaging friendship, is really cleverly depicted. Glad to hear it’s Poitier’s own favourite.
Nice page Cogerson and very useful for any film buff, as is the norm.
Hey Greensleeves Hubs…I agree with you about In The Heat of the Night….Rod Steiger got the Oscar glory but it is Poitier’s performance that is the backbone of the movie. It is surprising that Poitier did not get a nomination as well. I am glad you were able to check out my Poitier hub….and I greatly appreciate the nice words as well.
I would say that Mr.Poiter led the way and opened up the door for other black actors to follow as leading men – He always had pride and dignity in his characters and man oh man what a voice and commanding screen presence – well just like you, although I’ve heard your voice but you certainly have a commanding presence here
Hey epigramman…thanks for the great comment and compliments they are greatly appreciated. I agree 100% with your comments about Poitier. Thanks for stopping by.
They call me MISTER Tibbs!
An awesome hub on a great, still living, actor Conanson.
An epic comment Flora! 🙂 Hey I love reading the comments and yours are a great read. You’ve seen more of his films than I have.
I’ve seen 13 of Poitiers films. My favourite being In the Heat of the Night, which I have on DVD. I am upset it’s not no.1 on your moviescore Bruce, but at least it’s no.1 on the critics score. 🙂
The Defiant Ones is a classic and I enjoyed To Sir With Love I didn’t like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner for some reason.
Oh and The Bedford Incident is great too, highly recommended, should have been higher on the list.
Of his more recent films I’ve enjoyed Sneakers and Shoot to Kill. Of the films he directed Stir Crazy is at the top, a classic comedy.
Highly rated films I’ve not seen include Lilies of the Field, A Patch of Blue and Porgy and Bess.
A lot of interesting facts here Cogerson, I didn’t know Poitier was knighted by the Queen
Hey Steve…..let’s see….the competition between #1 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and #2 In the Heat of the Night was very close….72.72 to 72.27….only box office gave Dinner the edge…..if you look at movie to movie…In the Heat of the Night edges Dinner….but these scores are Poitier’s score for the movie…each person gets a different score…so Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner is a great example of how Movie Score gives each person a different score….here are the 4 main scores for the movie
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner Oscar win 87.27
Katharine Hepburn via her Oscar win 87.27
Spencer Tracy via Oscar nom only 81.34
Sidney Poiter via no Oscar love 72.27
So I hope that makes you feel a little better….do you like the new column of information that ranks how the movie did each year?
Bedford Incident is now high on my list…I remember you talking about it on the Widmark hub…so I feel I have to see the movie.
Once again Flora easily beats us on movie count….and once again pretty easily….18 to 13 to 9…and we thought we were movie buffs….lol….thanks for the votes up and for the comments.
Flora has seen a lot of movies, I am impressed. My Sandra is about her age and she hasn’t seen a fraction of what Flora has. Btw Sandra refuses to watch films that are older than she is. 🙂
That new column is a great idea Cogerson, at a glance I can see that Poitier has never been in the no.1 movie of the year. The closest was Guess Who’s Coming to Lunch at no.2 for 1967, I’m betting The Graduate was no.1.
Hey Steve….yep Flora is the Queen of Old Movies. Flora has the exact opposite rule of Sandra….as she will not watch a movie made after she was born. Yes The Graduate was the number one movie of 1967.
Well Steve….when I flipped this page…I updated the adjusted box office grosses to reflect 2015 movie ticket prices….and guess what….your favorite….In the Heat of the Night took over the top spot. Since Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner has maxed out box office points….In The Heat of the Night will continue to increase its leading over the upcoming years. I am sure the Cogerson Movie Score Sidney Poitier was keeping you up at night….so maybe you will rest easier tonight….lol.
Finally your mother in law gets her hub!
I am a big fan of Mr. Poitier. I absolutely adore him. (Sorry, Steve, it will be a loooong comment). 🙂
I’ll briefly talk about him as a director:
So far, I have only seen Stir Crazy (great comedy) and Buck and the Preacher, which I admire. Hanky Panky I want to see eventually as he worked with Richard Widmark. The others I do not know much about except that I’m quite interested in seeing him direct himself (Let’s Do It Again).
Now, to his acting:
I have seen 6 of his top ten box office hits: 1,2,3,4,6,and 9.
I have seen 8 of his top ten critics movies: the two I *haven’t* seen are Goodbye My lady and Porgy and Bess.
Of his top ten movie score movies:
I have seen 8 of them: numbers 1 through 8.
Of his top 20 movie score movies: I have seen 11 of them, just over half of them.
Overall, I have seen 18 of his films, which is 43%. I feel as if that percentage is higher than it is, because my favourite films I see several times a year. I think I’ve seen In the Heat of the Night, for example, about thirty times.
The earliest film I’ve seen is is his big screen debut: No Way Out. The most recently made film I’ve seen is The Jackal from 1997.
Another great comment Flora. Let’s see you have seen 18 of his movies….that doubles my total of 9. Well at least my total of 9 is much better than the 3 of the Stanwyck movies I saw in the last movie pages.
Looking at the Top Ten Box Office hits…I am surprised that his one musical is one you have not seen….granted he was tone-deaf and his singing was dubbed in….but it is a musical….On the Top Ten by critical score list…not shocked you have not seen Good-bye, My Lady….I was shocked that all the places I got information loved the movie….yet two books said that the Disney movie was quickly forgotten.
Of your Top 5…I have only seen Lillies of the Field…but The Blackboard Jungle and The Bedford Incident are the two movies that became must see movies….it seems each hub I write gets me motivated to track down some of the movies I have ignored in the past.
And finally….as for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner….it is indeed dated….but that is how things were back then….so I look at it as a pretty accurate “picture of 1967″…and you gotta love Tracy’s final speech…..the speech that ended a great movie career. As always your comments are always looked forward to and greatly appreciated.
PS. I am sure when I watch The Long Ships I will like the movie….just probably not because Widmark and Poitier have their shirts off….lol.
Hey Flora…your comments are the perfect length….and one of the comments I always looked forward to….you probably have about 3 or 4 days to watch some Danny Kaye movies…..so you better get to work….lol….He actually only has about 15 or so movies….so it should not take to long to research his movies.
That is an impressive list of Movie Titles that Mr. Poitier starred in. Again you have done a wonderful job covering his career. And you have made peace with your mother-in-law in time for Thanksgiving Dinner at her house. It’s the least she can do. I have no recollection regarding “A Patch of Blue” or “No Way Out” , but have seen the other eight on your first list.
Hey mckbirdbks…..thanks for the comments…..yes this should make Thanksgiving dinner a little better…..and I got the hub done about 6 weeks before that holiday. a Patch of Blue is a very good film….Shelly Winters won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in that one….playing one of the worst mothers ever. And in No Way Out….his first role he played a doctor…..and had to deal with a horrible patient Richard Widmark…..thanks for stopping by.
Hey mckbirdbks….Flora does a great job of describing A Patch of Blue…..all the actors are wonderful in the movie….it is one of my favorite Poitier’s movies….and Shelly Winters is awesome playing a horrible mother…way too believable.