Sidney Poitier, who was born two months prematurely, was given no reasonable chance of survival. Eighty years later, he remains one of the most influential and distinguished actors in Hollywood. Poitier's emphatic voice reverberated throughout Mershon Auditorium Wednesday evening while a crowd of 1,700 listened as he recounted his childhood and offered a unique insight into the journey of his life.
The stage and screen veteran spoke of his youth through 12 autobiographical anecdotes, which he referred to as a "montage of snapshots." Through his stories, Poitier said he hoped to reinforce the values of courage, perseverance, character and honor.
The first snapshot dated back to Feb. 20, 1927, with his premature birth. Facing his young son's imminent death, Poitier's father readied a shoebox to serve as a makeshift casket.
His mother visited a local soothsayer for guidance.
"The soothsayer said, 'Don't worry about your son. He will survive,'" Poitier said. "He will travel to most parts of the earth, he will walk with the kings, he will be rich and famous and your name will be carried all throughout the world."
Poitier's mother paid 50 cents for his fortune and 80 years later, all of the predictions have materialized.
Her son would become the first black actor to win an Academy Award in 1963. Five years later, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He also served as an ambassador to Japan from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, as well as an ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In one snapshot, Poitier said his life has been marked with three arrests before the age of 16, six near-death experiences and a formal education that never surpassed the sixth grade.
His parents, unable to control his tendencies toward juvenile delinquency, sent him to Florida to live with relatives at the age of 15.
Poitier said he credits his parents as the driving force behind his success. The values they instilled in him before he left for the U.S. have remained with him throughout his life, he said.
"There were lessons to be learned from everything they said," Poitier said. "They gave me practical experience at thinking under pressure, even at the age of 15."
Although his parents instilled practical experiences and life lessons in him, Poitier said he wanted to instill a sense of philanthropy into the lives of his listeners.
One of the actor's greatest regrets in life was never seizing the proper moment to thank a Jewish waiter in Queens, N.Y., who spent weeks teaching him to read. He never wrote down the man's last name or address and he never had the chance to fully show his appreciation before they parted ways.
"Philanthropy has had a considerable impact on my life," Poitier said. "Philanthropy is a profound manifestation of the very best in all of us, from you ladies and gentleman and to those who represent it."
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