Sidney Poitier, whose roles as a determined man in films like To Sir With Love, In The Heat Of The Night, and Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner, established him as the first black Hollywood idol. His career helped pave the way for future movie stars of color. After his recent death, it has come to light that Apple has been laboring on a documentary on the life of one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
On Thursday of last week, the actor who passed away in his home of Beverly Hills at the age of 94 was most famously known for being the first African American and Bahamian actor to win an Oscar in a lead role back in 1963 Lilies Of The Field. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reginald Hudlin will direct the biographic documentary on his extraordinary life and career. Executive producer Oprah Winfrey has been working alongside Poitier’s family to make a documentary worthy of a man of his stature. The production of the film that has been kept secret for over a year is an Apple Original Films released by Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Network Entertainment.
Hudlin, who directed The Black Godfather, the 2019 documentary about Clarence Avant for Netflix, and Marshall, the 2017 Thurgood Marshall biopic starring Chadwick Boseman for Open Road, is staying busy in 2022 as he is also the executive producer of two films coming out on AppleTV+ called Number One On the Call Sheet about black leading men in Hollywood and another untitled film about black leading women.
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