It is known that black actors have never been highly appreciated in Hollywood. It was not until 1964, almost a century after slavery was abolished, that the academy deigned to award a black performer. And the winner was Sidney Poitier, who won the statuette for his performance in Lilies of the Valley, a mediocre film with a therefore predominantly white cast, but which was the definitive boost for his career.
The conservative Hollywood industry surrendered that April 14 at the feet of the talented, handsome and intelligent actor, the first African-American film heartthrob that white parents would invite to dinner, and he starred in a brilliant career, which he crowned with the reception of a second Oscar, this honorific, in 2002.
