Sydney Tamiia Poitier
| Sydney Tamiia Poitier | |
|---|---|
 At the premiere of Grindhouse in Austin, Texas, March 2007 | |
| Born |
November 15, 1973 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names |
Sydney Tamiia Poitier Sydney Poitier |
| Alma mater |
Tisch School of the Arts (BA) Stella Adler Studio of Acting |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) | Dorian Heartsong (m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Parent(s) |
Sidney Poitier Joanna Shimkus |
Sydney Tamiia Poitier (born November 15, 1973) is an American television and film actress.
Early life and family
Born in Los Angeles, Poitier is the daughter of Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier and Canadian former actress Joanna Shimkus.[1] Her mother is of Lithuanian Jewish[2] and Irish descent.[3] She has an older sister, Anika. She also has four older half-sisters, Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina, from her father's first marriage.[4] Poitier's great-uncle has claimed that the Poitier ancestors on her grandfather's side had migrated from Haiti[5] and were probably part of the runaway slaves who had established maroon communities throughout the Bahamas, including Cat Island. He mentions that the surname Poitier is a French name, and there were no white Poitiers from the Bahamas.[6]
Poitier attended Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a bachelor's degree in acting.[1] She also studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting.[7][8]
Career
Poitier began her career of acting in the late 1990s. In 2001, she landed her first role on television in the NBC drama series First Years. The series was canceled after three episodes. In 2003, she starred in the UPN sitcom Abby. That series was also canceled during its first season. Later that same year, she had a recurring role in Joan of Arcadia, where she played Rebecca Askew, the love interest of Joan's older brother, Kevin (Jason Ritter). She was also a regular on the first season of Veronica Mars.[9] However, she left the show after only appearing in four episodes.
In 2007, Poitier starred in Death Proof, director Quentin Tarantino's segment of the movie Grindhouse, as radio DJ Jungle Julia. The next year, she had a co-starring role in the new Knight Rider series, as FBI Agent Carrie Rivai.[10] In 2011, she guest starred on two episodes of Private Practice.
Personal life
Sydney Tamiia Poitier married her husband, musician Adrian Coffey (March 7, 1971) on April 16, 2013. Their daughter A'Zalia Delancey Coffey was born on May 14, 2015.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Park Day | Sophia Johnson | |
| 1998 | Free of Eden | Nicole Turner | TV movie |
| 1999 | True Crime | Jane March | |
| 1999 | Noah's Ark | Ruth | TV movie |
| 2001 | MacArthur Park | Linda | |
| 2001 | First Years | Riley Kessler | 9 episodes |
| 2001 | Happy Birthday | Hannah | |
| 2003 | Abby | Abigail Newman | 10 episodes |
| 2003 | Twilight Zone, TheThe Twilight Zone | Dr. Leslie Coburn | Episode: "The Placebo Effect" |
| 2003–2004 | Joan of Arcadia | Rebecca Askew | 8 episodes |
| 2004 | Devil Cats, TheThe Devil Cats | Hellena Handbasket | |
| 2004 | Veronica Mars | Mallory Dent | 4 episodes: (appearance, credited for 7 episodes) "Credit Where Credit's Due" "You Think You Know Somebody" "Return of the Kane" "The Girl Next Door" |
| 2005 | Nine Lives | Vanessa | |
| 2006 | Grey's Anatomy | Deborah Fleiss | Episode: "17 Seconds" |
| 2006 | Hood of Horror | Wanda | |
| 2007 | Grindhouse | Jungle Julia | Segment: "Death Proof" |
| 2007 | List, TheThe List | Cecile | |
| 2008 | Blues | Dee | |
| 2008–2009 | Knight Rider | Carrie Rivai | 12 episodes |
| 2010 | Page 36 | Miss Gray | Short film |
| 2010 | Yard Sale | Kate Butler | Short film |
| 2011 | Big Tweet | Big Tweet's Girl | Short film |
| 2011 | Private Practice | Michelle | Episode: "Love and Lies" |
| 2011 | Supah Ninjas | Katherine Sharp/Katara | Episode: "Katara" |
| 2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Grace Tilwell | Episode: "I Ka Wa Mamua (In a Time Past)" |
| 2012 | Kendra (web series) | 5 episodes | |
| 2014 | Chicago P.D. | Detective Sumner | since episode 8 |
References
- 1 2 McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 268. ISBN 0-786-43790-1.
- ↑ Personalities - Shimkus An Anti-Actress, St. Petersburg Times, 20 Jul 1971 at News.Google.com
- ↑ "The Naked Truth Is: Joanna Isn't". The Calgary Herald. Women's News Service. September 4, 1970. p. 15. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ↑ Nipson, Herbert (May 1988). "Sidney Poitier Is Back". Ebony 43 (7): 40. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ↑ "Bio - Sidney Poitier". Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ↑ Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ↑ "Sidney Poitier And Daughter Sydney Maniia Star In TV Movie About Leaving The Projects And Wanting A Better Life In 'Free of Eden'". Jet 95 (12): 64. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ↑ "Sydney Tamiia Poitier Tackles Racy Sports World and Rocky Love Life As Star Of New TV Show 'Abby'". Jet 103 (5): 60. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ↑ "Poitier on a mission to UPN's 'Mars'". Chicago Tribune. August 2, 2004. p. 46.
- ↑ Warn, Sarah (2008-02-18). "Sydney Tamiia Poitier Plays Queer in the 'Knight Rider' TV Movie". AfterEllen.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
External links
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