1963 Best Actor Oscar Winner Sidney Poitier

In 1963, Poitier became the first black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor - for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of this achievement was later compounded in 1967 when he starred in three very well received films - To Sir, With Love, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - making him the top box office star of that year.