Sidney Poitier to Receive Honorary Oscar for Being Black
LOS ANGELES– Acclaimed actor Sidney Poitier, 74, will receive an honorary Oscar at the 74th Annual Academy Awards on March 24th.  Poitier, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in 1963's “Lilies of the Field,” has been selected for the award because he is black.
    “Mr. Poitier is a pioneer in the realm of African-American acting,” said Frank Pierson, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  “That is why he is not the only one receiving the award on Oscar night.  Every great black actor of the last four decades will be up there with him.”
   Poitier's 1963 win was the first given to a black actor in a leading role.  Other memorable performances include 1958's “The Defiant Ones” and 1967’s “In the Heat of the Night.”
   “His powerful performances stand as benchmarks for all actors in all dramatic media,” said movie critic Leonard Maltin.  “But we cannot ignore the one thing that makes Sidney Poitier stand out.  That of course, is his blackness.  He is both a good actor and black.  This cannot be overlooked.”
   Poitier looks forward to the award, which he sees as a sign of progression in the attention paid by the Academy to great black actors.
   “In 1963, I was the only black man on the stage.  And so was the case year after year,” he said.  “It's good to know times have changed.”