- Sidney Poitier, No Way Out, 1949. Poitier already had a gig – he was to be Absalom in a Theatre Guild productioopn of Lost in the Stars – when when his pal Brown told him that Fox was loooking for black actors for this racial hatred drama. (Or, alas, melodrama). Lying about his age, Poitier won his way into the final group and director Joseph L Mankiewicz was quick to recognise what critics would always call the actor’s quiet dignity. As for the play, as Poitier phrased it, “I was dealing with Holluywood and what Hollywood wants – Hollywood gets.” Brown was not so fortunate.
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