Talk:Sidney Poitier

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[edit] Date of knighthood

1974? I thought he got his KBE decades later than this, perhaps closer to 1994. Any clues? Maybe just a typo. JackofOz 03:19, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

After some research, I'm more confused than ever about this date. I never found 1994; but three other years were mentioned:
  • 1968 — Five sources, including http://www.africanamericans.com/SidneyPoitier.htm which I would expect to be careful about facts.
  • 1969 — Filmbug.com (which seems dubious as a source on other grounds.)
  • 1974 — Both the IMDB and About.com, which are generally reliable.
So I don't know what to recommend. I'll see what I can find in the British Honours Lists, but they're PDFs and a bit of a pain to search through. --ChrisWinter 17:08, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
And what do we mean by "by right and recommendation of his Bahamian citizenship"? Nobody ever gets a knighthood "by right", or merely because they happen to be a citizen of a particular country. What is this all about? JackofOz 02:59, 20 June 2006 (UTC)
Off the top of my head, I think this is just formal language that means he is a citizen of the British Empire. While there are exceptions, it is rare for knighthood to be awarded to anyone who is not. --ChrisWinter 15:23, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
Well, the British Empire ceased to exist a long time ago. Maybe you mean he's a citizen of a country that is a Commonwealth Realm, ie. a country that acknowledges the British monarch as its head of state. The best resource I know of for details of honorary knighthoods awarded to citizens of other countries is our List of honorary British Knights. JackofOz 08:38, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
Just for clarification, he would have been born a British subject in 1927, become a Citizen of the United Kingdom & Colonies in 1950, and would then have become a Bahaman upon independence in 1973. As the Bahamas is a Commonwealth Realm he is entitled to a full title (rather than an an 'honourary title', as would be the case if a citizen of a country that is not British or does not recognise such titles). This does not detract from possible US Citizenship. However, Britain did not recognise dual nationality until the Citizenship Act, so I don't know what his status may have been from 1950 - 1973 (as the Bahamas would then have its own nationality laws).Roche-Kerr 20:06, 15 November 2006 (UTC)
I'm not too sure about the specifics of the OBE, but should we put his name at the beginning of the article as Sir Sidney Poitier? Jutm543 21:47, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

If he's an american citizen he can't be a Sir —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.26.104.199 (talk) 19:26, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Editing questions

I've just made some changes (rephrasing, putting in missing words, etc.). I want to change two more things, but first I need some confirmation that they really are mistakes.

(Emphasis added in both cases.)

"Sir Sidney Poitier, (First Ever Black Man) KBE (born 1927-02-20) is a Bahamian-American actor. He has been hailed as a breakthrough star whose acclaimed performances which, by consciously defying racial stereotyping, gave a new dramatic credibility for black actors to mainstream film audiences in the Western world."

I know this means that Poitier was the first black man to receive a KBE. But, unless it's part of the title (which I doubt), there's a better was to say it than "(First Ever Black Man)".

"His fifth daughter is actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier."

The double-i in her middle name is almost certainly due to keybounce. Still, with proper names come some unusual spellings. I thought it wise to check. --ChrisWinter 15:57, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Well, blow me down! It is correct! (Per Google, IMDB, and several others.) I hope one of those "i"s is silent; otherwise I can't get my head around how to pronounce it. --ChrisWinter 16:27, 31 July 2006 (UTC)


[edit] DOB?

Article states 1924 and 1927 as year of birth. What is actual year of birth?RexRex84 06:31, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] YouTube?

i removed a sentence under trivia claiming he was famous for reviewing youtube videos. google didn't turn up anything. seemed like spam. if it can be substantiated, then someone can add it back i guess. --Doinelita 00:47, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lysistrata

In the Sidney Poitier article, there is a sentence that states: “On his second attempt at the theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the Broadway production "Lysistrata", for which he got excellent reviews.” Sidney did not get excellent reviews in this play because he got stage fright and ran off the stage. I read this in a book about Sidney Poitier. Exit EMERGENCYx 04:37, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

You'll need to tell us the book's title. Cop 633 13:05, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Here's the book : Bergman, Carol. Sidney Poitier. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Exit EMERGENCYx 01:37, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

You got a page number? ;) Cop 633 01:47, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Sidney-poitier01.jpg

Image:Sidney-poitier01.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 11:21, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WP:WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers priority assessment

Per debate and discussion re: assessment of the approximate 100 top priority articles of the project, this article has been included as a top priority article. Wildhartlivie (talk) 07:28, 1 March 2008 (UTC)Christina Stonum of banning Califorinia was here.

[edit] To add

He is also ambassador from the Bahamas to UNESCO. Badagnani (talk) 07:46, 3 May 2008 (UTC)