Sir Sidney Poitier is 88 years old today.
Poitier spent time working as a dishwasher while his friends
assisted him in learning how to read the newspaper and speak
without a Bahamian accent.
He became the first African American to win an Oscar after his
performance in Lilies of the Field (1963). The American Film
Institute called him one of the 25 Greatest Male Stars of All
Time in 1999.