Movie actor, Sidney Poitier, was born in Miami, Florida, on February 20, 1924. He was born prematurely and was not expected to survive. His father had already prepared for his burial, but he miraculously recovered. His family moved to the Bahamas where he grew up. He was the youngest of eight siblings. Poitier dropped out of school after only 1 and a half years to help his sick father tend to the tomato farm.
             At age 15, he moved back to Miami where he was born. There he would live with his brother, Cyril, and worked as a drugstore messenger. His West Indian accent was misunderstood and was the reason for many prejudice attacks. Poitier told The New York Times Magazine, "I experienced tremendous loneliness as a result of realizing for the firs time that I couldn't trust adults."
             He decided to leave Miami after a warning visit from The KKK at his brother's house. He wanted to move to New York, but he had no money. He railed hopped and arrived with only a few dollars in his pocket. He got a job washing dishes; he slept on a roof across from the Capitol Theatre. Because of the harsh cold weather, he got a post at a mental hospital in Long Island. He later pretended that he was mentally ill to escape duty in 1945.
             Back in New York, he saw an advertisement that The American Negro Theatre was looking for actors. In his first audition, he was laughed at then booed off of the stage. He then went to his home and imitated radio voices for many months; when he returned to the theatre he was given free acting lessons in return for doing backstage chores. He Finally won a role in Days of Our Youth. After that it was like a domino effect, and one thing lead to another and he was soon leading the few black roles available on the New York stage.
             In 1950, after several years of performing on stage, Poitier made his Hollywood Debut. He was in a movie called No Way Out. He played a prison ward doctor struggling to do his job amidst escala...