John Guare ( / ɡ ɛ r / GERR ; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of The House of Blue Leaves and Six Degrees of Separation .
126-601: He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens . In 1949, his father suffered a heart attack and subsequently moved the family to Ellenville, New York , while he recovered. His father's relatives lived there, making it an idyllic experience for him. Guare did not regularly attend school in Ellenville because the school's daily practices were not in keeping with the recommendations of the Catholic Church, causing his father to suspect
252-616: A BAFTA Award , and a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award . In 1999, he was ranked among the " American Film Institute's 100 Stars ". Poitier was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas , then still a Crown colony , but he was born in Miami, Florida , while they were visiting, which automatically granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in
378-737: A Mexican immigrant who spoke no English, through the Street Vendor Project , which advocates for New York City street vendors. Most housing units in Jackson Heights are apartments in multi-unit buildings, many of which are five or six stories. Many of these buildings are co-ops , some are rentals, and a few are condominiums . There are also a number of one- to three-family houses, most of which are attached row houses . 34th and 35th avenues, as well as most side streets between 37th Avenue and Northern Boulevard , are residential. A section of 90th Street between 30th Avenue and Northern Boulevard
504-403: A New York City historic district. The designation, which set architectural guidelines for structures within the designated district, affected both existing buildings and planned new developments within the district. Starting in the 2000s, Jackson Heights has become once again a desirable destination for professionals and middle-class families. Some of these residents moved to Jackson Heights for
630-498: A Play nomination. That same year Poitier would star in the film adaptation of Porgy and Bess (1959) alongside Dorothy Dandridge . For his performance, Poitier received a 1960 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy . If the fabric of the society were different, I would scream to high heaven to play villains and to deal with different images of Negro life that would be more dimensional . . . But I'll be damned if I do that at this stage of
756-428: A Sidney Poitier picture". He was an influential African-American actor and highly viewed as such as he became the first Black male actor to be nominated (1958) for an Academy Award (following the nominations of actresses Hattie McDaniel in 1940 and Dorothy Dandridge in 1954) and the first Black male actor to win the award. He was also described as the "sole representative" of African-Americans in mainstream cinema during
882-595: A cab driver in Nassau . Poitier was born unexpectedly in Miami while his parents were there on business; his birth was two months premature , and he was not expected to survive, but his parents remained in Miami for three months to nurse him to health. Poitier grew up in the Bahamas, then a British Crown colony . His birth in the United States entitled him to US citizenship. Although there were few Poitiers of French ancestry in
1008-791: A cast that featured Joel Grey, Anne Jackson, Madeline Kahn, and Sigourney Weaver. Bosoms and Neglect was produced on Broadway in 1979, and revived Off-Broadway in 1998 by the Signature Theatre Company. Moon Over Miami was produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1987 and then at the Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven in February 1989. Guare's cycle of plays on nineteenth-century America are: Gardenia (1982) Lydie Breeze (1982) and Women and Water (1985). The so-called Lydie Breeze series, also called
1134-453: A cob) , tacos , homemade tamales filled with meats, cheese, fruits or even chilies, fruit batidos or aguas frescas (smoothies), and South American sweet churros . In a 2017 episode of his show Parts Unknown , American chef Anthony Bourdain visited several Queens eateries, profiling Evelia Coyotzi, who sells tamales in a street cart on Junction Boulevard, the border between Jackson Heights and Corona. Bourdain learned about Coyotzi,
1260-442: A collection of Guare's plays, Louis Malle wrote: Guare practices a humor that is synonymous with lucidity, exploding genre and clichés, taking us to the core of human suffering: the awareness of corruption in our own bodies, death circling in. We try to fight it all by creating various mythologies, and it is Guare's peculiar aptitude for exposing these grandiose lies of ours that makes his work so magical. Gregory Mosher , formerly
1386-612: A country singer's quest for fame, won first place in the District of Columbia Recreation Department's One-Act-Play competition. In 1960, the Mask and Bauble presented The Thirties Girl, a musical for which Guare did the book, much of the music and the lyrics, again under Murphy's tutelage. Set in Hollywood's turbulent 1920s, it deals with the dethronement of a reigning diva by a fresh-faced starlet. Guare's early plays, mostly comic one-acts exhibiting
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#17330860705651512-549: A descendant of one of the original Queens families and a respected Queens County entrepreneur . Northern Boulevard , a main east–west road in the neighborhood, was also originally named Jackson Avenue; that name is retained in a short stretch in Long Island City . Though the land was not known for its elevation, after the land was filled to raise the terrain above the marshes of the Trains Meadow, Jackson Heights attained
1638-488: A design by architect George H. Wells . Leftover unused space was converted to parks, gardens, and recreational areas, including a golf course; much of this space, including the golf course, no longer exists. This was followed by the 1919 construction of the Andrew J. Thomas –designed Linden Court, a 10-building complex between 84th Street, 85th Street, 37th Avenue, and Roosevelt Avenue. The two sets of five buildings, separated by
1764-487: A few years. Even associating with Poitier added to the basis for blacklisting Alfred Palca, the writer and producer of one of Poitier's earliest films, the 1954 Go Man Go . Poitier never did sign a loyalty oath , despite being asked in connection with his prospective role in Blackboard Jungle (1955). By late 1949, Poitier had to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in
1890-526: A flair for the absurd, include To Wally Pantoni, We Leave a Credenza , produced at Caffe Cino in 1965 and Muzeeka (1968). Cop-Out premiered on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on April 7, 1969, and closed on April 12, 1969, as part of two one-act plays, including Home Fires . Cop-Out starred Linda Lavin and Ron Leibman . The House of Blue Leaves , a domestic drama by turns wildly comic and despairingly poignant, premiered Off-Broadway in 1971 at
2016-419: A gated garden with linden trees and two pathways, included parking spaces with single-story garages accessed via narrow driveways, the first Jackson Heights development to do so; gaps at regular intervals in the perimeter wall; a layout that provided light and ventilation to the apartments and fostered a sense of belonging to a community; the area's first co-op ; and now-prevalent private gardens surrounded by
2142-607: A large historical canvas, dealing with serious subjects while retaining a playful intellectual buoyancy." Guare wrote the screenplay for Louis Malle 's film Atlantic City (1980), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. He was an original member in 1965 of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford , Connecticut and Resident Playwright at the New York Shakespeare Festival , during which time he wrote Landscape of
2268-623: A left-wing analysis of class and racial exploitation. Among his other CNA-related activities, in the early 1950s he was a Vice Chair of the organization. In 1952, he was one of several narrators in a pageant written by Alice Childress and Lorraine Hansberry for the Negro History Festival put on by the leftist Harlem monthly newspaper Freedom . His participation in such events and CNA generally, along with his friendships with other leftist Black performers, including Canada Lee and Paul Robeson , led to his subsequent blacklisting for
2394-405: A losing battle. Double and triple homicides go unsolved. By the late 1980s, Jackson Heights had rising real-estate values and a moderate amount of crime compared to other city neighborhoods. Nevertheless, there were still high-profile crimes that reinforced perceptions of the neighborhood as dangerous. In 1990, Julio Rivera, a gay Puerto Rican man, was murdered in a hate crime. His death galvanized
2520-521: A movement after the 1990 murder of Julio Rivera, a 29-year-old bartender who worked at the Magic Touch gay bar. Rivera was raised in the Bronx, but tried to avoid the violence of the streets there, and moved to Jackson Heights as a young adult. On the night of July 2, three men cornered Rivera in a schoolyard that was known as a gay cruising area and beat him with a hammer and beer bottle, and then stabbed him. At
2646-491: A non-stereotypical fashion, and his influence, especially during the 1950s and '60s as role model and image-maker, was immeasurable." While presenting Poitier the Honorary Academy Award in 2002, Denzel Washington said of Poitier: "Before Sidney, African American actors had to take supporting roles in major studio films that were easy to cut out in certain parts of the country. But you couldn't cut Sidney Poitier out of
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#17330860705652772-701: A planned community a few blocks from the Flushing Line between Northern Boulevard (then Jackson Avenue) and 37th Avenue, the main commercial corridor of the new development. Targeted at the middle class, these multi-story apartment buildings designed in the Colonial Revival and neo-Tudor styles were based on similar ones in Berlin . They were to share garden spaces, have ornate exteriors and features such as fireplaces, parquet floors, sun rooms, and built-in bathtubs with showers; and be cooperatively owned. In addition,
2898-577: A psychiatrist that he was faking his condition, but the doctor was sympathetic and granted his discharge under Section VIII of Army regulation 615–360 in December 1944. After leaving the Army, he worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a role in an American Negro Theatre production, the same company he failed his first audition with. Poitier joined the American Negro Theater but
3024-484: A reduction in cartels in the neighborhood. Community leaders responded to negative perceptions of Jackson Heights by seeking to have the neighborhood designated a historic district. In 1988, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group was formed; it organized walking tours as well as beautification activities and commissioned a neighborhood history. Five years later, part of Jackson Heights was made
3150-635: A run over a patch of grass and the sight of a tree ... Built in 1928, the English Gables line 82nd Street, the main shopping area of Jackson Heights's Hispanic community. There are two developments, English Gables I and II; they are meant to provide a gateway to the neighborhood for commercial traffic and for passengers from the 82nd Street–Jackson Heights station. A year later, the Robert Morris Apartments, on 37th Avenue between 79th and 80th streets, were constructed. Named after Robert Morris ,
3276-633: A sequel of sorts to ... 'The House of Blue Leaves' and includ[ing] the son of one of the earlier play's characters" received its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in July 1999 and was produced Off-Broadway in 2001 at Lincoln Center Theater 's Newhouse Theater. Later plays include Marco Polo Sings a Solo , produced at the Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival in January to March 1977, with
3402-599: A shared garden, was built in the French Renaissance style and has slate mansard roofs pierced by dormer windows, and diaperwork brick walls. At first purely decorative, the shared gardens in later developments included paved spaces where people could meet or sit. The Queensboro Corporation started the Ivy Court, Cedar Court, and Spanish Gardens projects, all designed by Thomas, in 1924. The Queensboro Corporation advertised their apartments from 1922 on. On August 28, 1922,
3528-621: A signer of the United States Declaration of Independence , the apartments have ample green spaces, original high ceilings, and fireplaces, and are relatively expensive. During the Depression, two new buildings were built: Ravenna Court on 37th Avenue between 80th and 81st streets, built in 1929; and Georgian Court three blocks east, between 83rd and 84th streets, built in 1930. The Queensboro Corporation began to build on land that until then had been kept open for community use, including
3654-571: A subscript; it was originally erected in 1995, but after the sign disappeared in 2008, a replacement was put up in 2011. The Jackson Heights Garden City Society is a historical society, whose founders include local historians, the Queens Borough Historian and local activists. They created and oversee the Jackson Heights Garden City Trail and publish a walking guidebook to Jackson Heights. They also collect artifacts of
3780-516: Is a Little India on 74th Street and a Little Pakistan and Little Bangladesh on 73rd Street. There is also a large concentration of South Americans east of 77th Street, especially a Little Colombia along 37th Avenue. Jackson Heights was heavily Colombian during the 1980s, but other immigrant groups have settled in the area, notably Mexicans. Many of the displaced Colombians have moved to adjacent areas such as Elmhurst , East Elmhurst , Corona , College Point and Flushing . Queens County still has
3906-505: Is a year-round greenmarket every Sunday morning at Travers Park , as well as various family-oriented spring and summer concerts. In the 1920s, LGBT actors working in the 42nd Street theater scene decided to make their homes in Jackson Heights due to the lack of affordability of Manhattan neighborhoods and the easy accessibility of the 7 train. That was the beginning of what is now the second largest gay community in New York City. Until
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4032-558: Is also considered part of East Elmhurst. Bordering St. Michaels Cemetery to the west, the airfield was also called the Grand Central Air Terminal and Grand Central Airport. Holmes Airport shut down in 1940, one year after LaGuardia Airport opened. The neighborhood grew steadily from the 1920s to the 1950s, with construction slowing during the Depression and booming back again after World War II. Holmes Airport operated from 1929 to 1940 on 220 acres (89 ha) adjacent to
4158-532: Is represented by the New York City Council 's 21st and 25th districts. From colonial times to the 1900s, the area now known as Jackson Heights was a vast marsh named Trains Meadow. Urbanization at the turn of the century was creating a New York City housing shortage and urban sprawl . In 1909, Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation bought 325 acres (132 ha) of undeveloped land and farms and christened them Jackson Heights after John C. Jackson,
4284-514: Is set in nineteenth century America, with a cast of characters that includes Ulysses S. Grant , Mark Twain , soprano Adelina Patti and the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Guare has also been involved with musical theatre. His libretto with Mel Shapiro for the musical Two Gentlemen of Verona was a success when it premiered in 1971 and was revived in 2005 at the Public Theater 's Shakespeare in
4410-894: The AFI Life Achievement Award . In 1994, Poitier received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In 1981, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and in 2016 he received the BAFTA Fellowship . In 2022, he was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum . In 1995, he received the Kennedy Center Honor and in 2009, Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama. He
4536-533: The BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film. From 1997 to 2007, he was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. Sidney Poitier was born on February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida. He was the youngest of seven children born to Evelyn ( née Outten ) and Reginald James Poitier, Afro-Bahamian farmers who owned a farm on Cat Island . The family would travel to Miami to sell tomatoes and other produce to wholesalers. His father also worked as
4662-456: The Cole Porter musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate for its 1999 Broadway revival. He wrote the book for the musical Sweet Smell of Success , which premiered on Broadway in 2002, for which he received a 2002 Tony Award nomination, Book of a Musical. His play A Free Man of Color was a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama . The Pulitzer citation said: "An audacious play spread across
4788-619: The Hudson River . In 1959, Poitier began a nine-year affair with actress Diahann Carroll. On January 23, 1976, he married Joanna Shimkus , a Canadian actress who starred with Poitier in The Lost Man in 1969, and they remained married until his death. Poitier had four daughters with his first wife: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina. He had two daughters with his second wife: Anika and Sydney Tamiia . Poitier had eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. When Hurricane Dorian hit
4914-756: The Jackson Heights Historic District , which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. A smaller part of the original garden city neighborhood was placed in a New York City historic district of the same name in 1993. Jackson Heights is in Queens Community District 3 and its ZIP Code is 11372. The zip code 11370 is co-named with East Elmhurst. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department 's 115th Precinct. Politically, Jackson Heights
5040-751: The Silver Bear for Best Actor for that performance. In 1964, he won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963). Poitier broke ground playing strong leading African American male roles in films such as Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965). He acted in three films in 1967, films which tackled race and race relations : To Sir, with Love ; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner , and In
5166-863: The Western Buck and the Preacher , in which Poitier also starred, alongside Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee. Poitier replaced the original director, Joseph Sargent . The following year he directed his second feature, the romantic drama A Warm December . Poitier also starred in the film alongside Esther Anderson . Along with Barbra Streisand and Paul Newman , Poitier formed First Artists Production Company so actors could secure properties and develop movie projects for themselves. Working with First Artists, Poitier directed several financially successful comedy films, including three in which he also starred: Uptown Saturday Night (1974) with Bill Cosby and Harry Belafonte; and Let's Do It Again (1975) and A Piece of
John Guare - Misplaced Pages Continue
5292-500: The abolition of slavery , 86 slaves from his wife's estate kept the Poitier name. Poitier lived with his family on Cat Island until he was ten, when they moved to Nassau. There he was exposed to the modern world, where he saw his first automobile and first experienced electricity, plumbing, refrigeration, and motion pictures. He was raised Catholic but later became an agnostic with views closer to deism . At age fifteen, in 1942, he
5418-495: The "Nantucket" series, "follows a group of idealistic 19th century characters and their attempts to create a utopian society. " Six Degrees of Separation was originally produced Off-Broadway by Lincoln Center Theater at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in June 1990. Six Degrees of Separation is an intricately plotted comedy of manners about an African-American confidence man who poses as
5544-406: The 1930s, gave the apartments a more spacious feel, and the landscaped interior courtyard is one of the historic district's largest. After the 1940s, Jackson Heights's real estate was diversified, with more apartment buildings and cooperatives built with elevators; some new transportation infrastructure was also built. In 1929, Holmes Airport opened in the northern section of Jackson Heights that
5670-477: The 1950s and 1960s, especially during the height of the American Civil Rights movement . The New York Times noted that Poitier was "an ambassador to white America and a benign emblem of Black power ". For his role in diversifying Hollywood and for his role in paving the way for further Black actors, he was described as one of "the most important figures of 20th century Hollywood". Former president of
5796-420: The 1960s, Jackson Heights's white middle-class families began moving to the suburbs, and nonwhite residents began moving in. Jackson Heights retains much of its residential character. It also has numerous commercial establishments clustered along 37th Avenue, as well as on several side streets served by subway stations. Most of the surviving garden city neighborhood is part of a national historic district called
5922-571: The 1990s, LGBT activities in Jackson Heights were usually held surreptitiously and at night due to a constant fear of backlash. As the neighborhood continued to grow, more spaces for the gay community were added. One of those was the Queens Center for Gay Seniors, which was created using grant money and is still the only senior center in Queens serving the LGBT community specifically. The LGBT community became
6048-526: The 1990s, he starred in several well received television movies and miniseries such as Separate but Equal (1991), To Sir, with Love II (1996), Mandela and de Klerk (1997), and The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn (1999). He received Emmy nominations for his work in Separate but Equal and Mandela and de Klerk , as well as a Golden Globe nomination for the former. He won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2001. In 2002, Poitier received
6174-490: The 2001 Honorary Academy Award for his overall contribution to American cinema. Later in the ceremony, Denzel Washington won the award for Best Actor for his performance in Training Day , becoming the second Black actor to win the award. In his victory speech, Washington saluted Poitier by saying "I'll always be chasing you, Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps. There's nothing I would rather do, sir." With
6300-815: The Action (1977), both with Cosby. His most successful comedy was Stir Crazy (1980; not a First Artists production), starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder , which for many years was the highest-grossing film directed by a person of African descent. In 1985, he directed Fast Forward and, in 1990, he reunited with Cosby directing him in the family comedy Ghost Dad . In 1988, he starred in Shoot to Kill with Tom Berenger . In 1992, he starred in Sneakers with Robert Redford and Dan Aykroyd . In 1997, he co-starred in The Jackal with Richard Gere and Bruce Willis . In
6426-855: The Bahamas in September 2019, Poitier's family had 23 missing relatives. On January 6, 2022, Poitier died at his home in Beverly Hills, California , at the age of 94. His death was confirmed by Fred Mitchell , the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas . According to a copy of his death certificate obtained by TMZ , the cause of death was cardiopulmonary failure , with Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer listed as underlying causes. Upon Poitier's death, many people released statements honoring him, including President Joe Biden , who wrote in part: "With unflinching grandeur and poise – his singular warmth, depth, and stature on-screen – Sidney helped open
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#17330860705656552-416: The Bahamas, some believe that the Poitier ancestors had migrated from Haiti , and were probably among the runaway slaves who established maroon communities throughout the Bahamas, including Cat Island. There had, however, been one Poitier of French ancestry on Cat Island, planter Charles Leonard Poitier, who had immigrated from Jamaica in the early 1800s, possibly originally from Haiti. In 1834, following
6678-519: The Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He joined the American Negro Theatre , landing his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film Blackboard Jungle (1955). Poitier gained stardom for his leading roles in films such as The Defiant Ones (1958) for which he made history becoming the first African American to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. Additionally Poitier won
6804-669: The Biblical epic film The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) alongside Charlton Heston and Max von Sydow , and A Patch of Blue (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters . In 1967, he was the most successful draw at the box office, the commercial peak of his career, with three popular films, To Sir, with Love , and In the Heat of the Night , and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner . Although these three films seemingly shared little similarity, they all, albeit not overtly, dealt with
6930-881: The Body , Rich and Famous , and Marco Polo Sings a Solo . He is a council member of the Dramatists Guild . He is Co-Executive Editor of the Lincoln Center Theater Review , which he founded in 1987. He co-produces the New Plays Reading Room Series at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts and teaches in the Playwriting department at the Yale School of Drama . In his foreword to
7056-424: The Heat of the Night , the latter of which earned him Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations. In a poll the next year he was voted the US's top box-office star. Poitier made his directorial film debut with Buck and the Preacher (1972) followed by A Warm December (1973), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), and Stir Crazy (1980). He later starred in Shoot to Kill (1988) and Sneakers (1992). Poitier
7182-473: The Heat of the Night , Poitier played Virgil Tibbs , a police detective from Philadelphia who investigates a murder in the Deep South in Mississippi alongside a cop with racial prejudices played by Rod Steiger . The film was a critical success with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times calling it "the most powerful film I have seen in a long time." Roger Ebert placed it at number ten on his top ten list of 1967 films. Art Murphy of Variety felt that
7308-431: The LGBTQ community into protesting his death with a candlelight vigil, the formation of several LGBTQ activist groups, and the foundation of the Queens Pride Parade . Two years later, journalist Manuel de Dios Unanue was murdered after authoring articles in El Diario La Prensa about the proliferation of Colombian cartels embedded within the business community along Roosevelt Avenue. Seeking to distance themselves from
7434-412: The Park . It won the two men the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical as well as the Tony Award for best Book of a Musical. He wrote the songs for Landscape of the Body . Guare wrote narration for Psyche , a tone poem by César Franck , which premiered at Avery Fisher Hall in October 1997, conducted by Kurt Masur with the New York Philharmonic . He revised the book (uncredited) of
7560-486: The Queens LGBT movement would not have gotten as far as it has gotten. Julio did not die in vain. He changed people's lives. Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( / ˈ p w ɑː t j eɪ / PWAH -tyay ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first Black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor . He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards ,
7686-418: The Queensboro Corporation paid $ 50 to radio station WEAF to broadcast a ten-minute sales pitch for apartments in Jackson Heights, in what may have been the first " infomercial ", opening with a few words about Nathaniel Hawthorne before promoting the corporation's Nathaniel Hawthorne apartments. The ad wanted viewers to: seek the recreation and the daily comfort of the home removed from the congested part of
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#17330860705657812-420: The Register Districts. The national historic district called the Jackson Heights Historic District , includes 2,203 contributing buildings, 19 contributing sites, and three contributing objects. Among the landmarked buildings, over 200 original Queensboro Corporation apartment buildings still exist in Jackson Heights. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Almost 600 buildings in
7938-508: The State and National Districts, the local designation comes with aesthetic protections. In addition to the Jackson Heights Historic District, the Lent Homestead and Cemetery and Jackson Heights post office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The main retail thoroughfare is 37th Avenue from 72nd Street to Junction Boulevard, with more retail on 73rd, 74th, and 82nd streets between 37th and Roosevelt avenues. Stores and restaurants on and near 74th Street tend to cater to
8064-427: The Truck and Warehouse Theatre. It was revived Off-Broadway at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1986 before transferring to Broadway later in 1986. The play was revived on Broadway in 2011, starring Ben Stiller , whose mother, Anne Meara , had appeared in the 1971 production. According to Marilyn Stasio writing in Variety the play "sets the bar for smart comic lunacy." Chaucer in Rome , "said to be
8190-488: The ages of 0–17, 32% between 25 and 44, and 24% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 9% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Board 3 was $ 56,601. In 2018, an estimated 25% of Jackson Heights residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in fourteen residents (7%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or
8316-423: The arrival of the Flushing Line in 1917. The Queensboro Corporation coined the name " garden apartment " to convey the concept of apartments built around private parks . Although land for churches was provided, the apartments were limited to White Anglo-Saxon Protestants , excluding Jews, Blacks, and perhaps Greeks and Italians. Several Jackson Heights buildings were built by the Queensboro Corporation as part of
8442-464: The artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, said that Guare, "along with David Mamet, Sam Shepard and a handful of other dramatists, reshaped the face of contemporary American theater over the past quarter century." All plays for the stage unless otherwise noted. He is married to Adele Chatfield-Taylor , an historic preservationist; she was President and CEO of the American Academy in Rome. They split their time between New York City, Long Island and
8568-440: The beginning of the case, the police department categorized the assault as drug-related, because Rivera had been a longtime cocaine user and they found traces of cocaine on his body. However, after Rivera's friends and relatives advocated for the case to be examined further, the NYPD concluded that Rivera's death had been an anti-gay crime, and the three men involved were charged with murder and manslaughter. If it wasn't for Julio
8694-457: The black and white divide. In To Sir, with Love , Poitier plays a teacher at a secondary school in the East End of London . The film deals with social and racial issues in the inner city school. The film was met with mixed response; however, Poitier was praised for his performance, with the critic from Time writing, "Even the weak moments are saved by Poitier, who invests his role with a subtle warmth." In Norman Jewison 's mystery drama In
8820-538: The border of neighboring Corona at Junction Boulevard. Roosevelt Avenue is also lined with various mainly Hispanic retail stores. Along Roosevelt Avenue from 74th to 108th Streets, street food from all over the world is made and sold at food carts "currently dominated by the Mexican community". Typical cart food includes Bengali fuchka ( phuchka ), Middle Eastern lamb over rice, Nepalese momo , Colombian chuzos and arepas , Greek souvlaki , Ecuadorian ceviche , Thai steamed chicken over rice, and Mexican elotes (corn on
8946-413: The building blocks. The Hampton Gardens, the Château, and the Towers followed in the 1920s. The Château and the Towers, both co-ops on 34th Avenue, had large, airy apartments and elevators. Until 1922, elevators were required to have attendants and more modest buildings were constructed as walk-ups not exceeding five floors. The elegant Château cooperative apartment complex, with 12 buildings surrounding
9072-462: The city, right at the boundaries of God's great outdoors, and within a few minutes by subway from the business section of Manhattan ... The cry of the heart is for more living room, more chance to unfold, more opportunity to get near Mother Earth, to play, to romp, to plant and to dig ... Let me enjoin upon you as you value your health and your hopes and your home happiness, get away from the solid masses of brick ... where your children grow up starved for
9198-608: The community. Following the development of Long Island in the 1960s, Jackson Heights' white middle-class families began moving further out into the suburbs. At the same time the neighborhood experienced an influx of ethnically diverse professionals from Latin America and the Indian subcontinent taking advantage of the 1965 Immigration Reform Act , which allowed them to arrange the immigration of their families. White residents' resistance to integration with African-Americans continued late into
9324-710: The community. Later, its land became veterans' housing and the Bulova watch factory site. By 1930, artists from the Manhattan theater district, many of whom were homosexual, had moved into the area, forming the beginnings of the second largest LGBTQ community in New York outside of Manhattan. Jews were allowed to move in by the 1940s. In the 1950s, middle-class businessmen from Colombia, escaping violence and repression in Latin America, brought their financial capital and their families to
9450-542: The community. Periodically, the Society testifies before the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on issues of concern to the community. The 82nd Street Partnership is responsible for the business improvement of the area. In addition, Colombian broadcaster RCN TV has its US-American headquarters in the neighborhood, reflecting the sizable Colombian population in the area. There
9576-424: The corporation divided the land into blocks and building lots, as well as installed streets, sidewalks, and power, water, and sewage lines. The Laurel apartment building on 82nd Street at Northern Boulevard was the first of Jackson Heights's Queensboro Corporation buildings, completed in 1914 with a small courtyard. The Greystones on either side of 80th Street between 37th and 35th avenues were completed in 1918 with
9702-489: The death of Ernest Borgnine in 2012, Poitier became the oldest living recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor. On March 2, 2014, Poitier appeared with Angelina Jolie at the 86th Academy Awards to present the Best Director Award . He was given a standing ovation and Jolie thanked him for all his Hollywood contributions, stating: "We are in your debt." Poitier gave a brief speech, telling his peers to "keep up
9828-522: The decade, and Junction Boulevard came to be called the "Mason-Dixon Line", as it divided Jackson Heights from the black communities in East Elmhurst and Corona. By the mid-1970s, Roosevelt Avenue had become the neighborhood's commercial center and also gained national attention as a place for organized crime. A 1993 New York Times article detailed how wire transfer services in Jackson Heights inadvertently enabled Colombian cartels to repatriate, and in
9954-572: The elevated IRT Flushing Line —the present-day 7 train, just 20 minutes from Midtown Manhattan —in 1917, and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company double-decker coaches in 1922. Jackson Heights was conceived as a planned development for middle- to upper-middle-income workers looking to escape an overcrowded Manhattan. Inspired by Sir Ebenezer Howard 's garden city movement , it was laid out by Edward MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation in 1916 and began attracting residents after
10080-502: The excellent Poitier and outstanding Steiger performances overcame noteworthy flaws, including an uneven script. Poitier received a Golden Globe Award and British Academy Film Award nomination for his performance. In Stanley Kramer's social drama Guess Who's Coming to Dinner , Poitier played a man in a relationship with a White woman played by Katharine Houghton . The film revolves around her bringing him to meet with her parents played by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy . The film
10206-510: The film No Way Out (1950). His performance in No Way Out , as a doctor treating a white bigot (played by Richard Widmark , who became a friend), was noticed and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and more prominent than those most African-American actors of the time were offered. In 1951, he traveled to South Africa with the African-American actor Canada Lee to star in
10332-508: The film "is a magnificent piece of entertainment. It will make you laugh and may even make you cry." To win his role as Dr. Prentice in the film, Poitier had to audition for Tracy and Hepburn at two separate dinner parties. Poitier began to be criticized for being typecast as over-idealized African-American characters who were not permitted to have any sexuality or personality faults, such as his character in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner . Poitier
10458-667: The film version of Cry, the Beloved Country . Poitier's distinction continued in his role as Gregory W. Miller, a member of an incorrigible high-school class in Blackboard Jungle (1955). But it was his performance in Martin Ritt 's 1957 film Edge of the City that the industry could not ignore. It was a pitch towards stardom granted him. Poitier enjoyed working for director William Wellman on Good-bye, My Lady (1956). Wellman
10584-436: The films in which Poitier starred during the 1960s would later be cited as social thrillers by both filmmakers and critics. In the Heat of the Night featured his most successful character, Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, detective whose subsequent career was the subject of two sequels: They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) and The Organization (1971). In 1972, he made his feature film directorial debut,
10710-588: The first Black male actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award as best actor. Poitier did win the British Academy Film Award for Best Foreign Actor. Poitier acted in the first production of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Ruby Dee on the Broadway stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1959. The play was directed by Lloyd Richards . The play introduced details of Black life to
10836-478: The following year; he remained the only major actor of African descent and the roles offered were predominantly typecast as a soft-spoken appeaser. In 1964, Poitier recorded an album with the composer Fred Katz called Poitier Meets Plato , in which Poitier recites passages from Plato 's writings. He also performed in the Cold War drama The Bedford Incident (1965) alongside the film's producer Richard Widmark,
10962-524: The game. Not when there is only one Negro actor working in films with any degree of consistency . . . In 1961, Poitier starred in the film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun for which he received another Golden Globe Award nomination. Also in 1961, Poitier starred in Paris Blues alongside Paul Newman , Joanne Woodward , Louis Armstrong , and Diahann Carroll . The film dealt with the American racism of
11088-458: The hearts of millions and changed the way America saw itself." Former president Barack Obama paid tribute to Poitier, calling him "a singular talent who epitomized dignity and grace". Michelle Obama , Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton also released statements. Many people in the entertainment industry also paid tribute to Poitier, including Martin Scorsese who wrote, "For years, the spotlight
11214-409: The helm from Joseph Sargent on Buck and the Preacher in 1971. In 1958 he starred alongside Tony Curtis in director Stanley Kramer 's The Defiant Ones . The film was a critical and commercial success with the performances of both Poitier and Curtis being praised. The film landed eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor nominations for both stars, making Poitier
11340-518: The highest elevation in the vicinity. The addition of the term "Heights" echoed the prestige of the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights and indicated that Jackson Heights was meant to be an exclusive neighborhood. At that time the area could most easily be reached by ferry from Manhattan or the Brooklyn Bridge . More direct access came with the Queensboro Bridge in 1909, This was followed by
11466-475: The historic village of Waterford, Virginia , where his wife grew up. Jackson Heights, Queens Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City . Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditmars-Steinway ) to the northwest, and East Elmhurst to
11592-512: The land Jackson Heights after Jackson Avenue, which was in turn named after John C. Jackson, a descendant of one of the original Queens families. He was a respected Queens entrepreneur. Jackson Avenue was the northern border of the ambitious Garden City development of the Queensboro Corporation. Further development arose through the development of transit and "garden apartments". "Garden homes" soon became prevalent in Jackson Heights. During
11718-634: The large population from the Indian subcontinent in the neighborhood, with sari and jewelry stores, Indian and Bengali music and movie retailers and many restaurants. 37th Avenue contains a wide mix of retailers, including many grocery stores, and 82nd Street contains many national chain stores located in Tudor-style buildings in the Jackson Heights Historic District. South American retailers and eateries, predominantly from Colombia and Peru dominate Northern Boulevard from 80th Street east to
11844-550: The largest concentration of Colombians in the United States of any county (roughly 135,000). The 2015 documentary In Jackson Heights portrays Jackson Heights as a microcosm of the American melting pot . The word game Scrabble was co-invented by former architect Alfred Mosher Butts , who lived in Jackson Heights. There is a street sign at 35th Avenue and 81st Street that is stylized using letters, with their values in Scrabble as
11970-547: The memory of Poitier and Gilbert Gottfried . Poitier became the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963). He also received a Grammy Award , two Golden Globe Awards , and a British Academy Film Award . He received numerous honoraries during his lifetime including the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement in film in 2001. In 1992, Poitier received
12096-405: The movies". Several film historians and journalists have called him Hollywood's first African-American film star. The New York Times noted after his death, that Poitier was instrumental for the diversity of Hollywood and "paved the way for Black actors in film". The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Poitier was the first actor to star in mainstream Hollywood movies that depicted a Black man in
12222-565: The name changed to "Eagle", a Bollywood theater before a strike in the Bollywood industry caused the theater to close permanently in 2009; it is now a food court selling cuisine of the Indian subcontinent . The Fair Theatre, in the area that overlaps with East Elmhurst, opened in 1939 at Astoria Boulevard and 90th Street, became a porn theater. The Polk Theater, on 37th (formerly Polk) Avenue and 93rd Street, opened in 1938 and closed in 2006; it also
12348-553: The nation. Half of the population was foreign-born by the 2000s. It is home to large numbers of South Americans (particularly Colombian, Ecuadorian and Argentinian) and South Asians (Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Tibetans, Nepalese, and Indians). Because of its large and vibrant Tibetan community, it has been called "the second (if unofficial) capital of the exile Tibetan world, after Dharamsala , India." Most businesses are Asian- and Latino-owned, and there are restaurants, bakeries, specialty shops, legal offices, bars, and beauty salons. There
12474-450: The neighborhood —a rectangle stretching roughly from 76th to 88th Streets and from Roosevelt Avenue almost up to Northern Boulevard—were designated as a New York City Historic District by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on October 19, 1993. It comprises large apartment buildings with private communal gardens, as well as many groupings of private homes and many stores on the streets surrounding Roosevelt Avenue . Unlike
12600-553: The newspaper. During World War II , in November 1943, he lied about his age (he was only 16 at the time) and enlisted in the Army . He was assigned to a Veteran's Administration hospital in Northport, New York , and was trained to work with psychiatric patients. Poitier became upset with how the hospital treated its patients and feigned mental illness to obtain a discharge. Poitier confessed to
12726-583: The north and northeast. Jackson Heights has an ethnically diverse community, with half the population having been foreign-born since the 2000s. The New York Times has called it "the most culturally diverse neighborhood in New York, if not on the planet." According to the 2010 United States Census , the neighborhood has a population of 108,152. The site of Jackson Heights was a vast marsh named Trains Meadow until 1909 when Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation bought 325 acres (132 ha) of undeveloped land and farms. The Queensboro Corporation named
12852-409: The overwhelmingly White Broadway audiences, while director Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of Black people were drawn. The play was a groundbreaking piece of American theater with Frank Rich , critic from The New York Times writing in 1983, that A Raisin in the Sun "changed American theater forever". For his performance he earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in
12978-520: The percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 59% in Jackson Heights, slightly higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Jackson Heights is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . As of 2017, nearly 11% of households in Jackson Heights were severely overcrowded—defined as households in which there are more than 1.5 household members for each room (excluding bathrooms) in
13104-426: The population. The entirety of Queens Community District 3 , which comprises Jackson Heights as well as East Elmhurst and North Corona, had 179,844 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.7 years. This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 22% are between
13230-518: The portrayal of Jackson Heights as a crime-ridden neighborhood, some residents argued that de Dios had been murdered in Elmhurst, as the restaurant where he was attacked was on the south side of Roosevelt Avenue. Following the reduction of crime in New York City during the late 1990s, the market for illicit substances that fed the Colombian cocaine industry in Jackson Heights eventually decreased, leading to
13356-604: The process launder, millions of dollars in drug money to South America alongside customers who used the service to transfer legally earned money. The violence that ensued as a result of the growing Jackson Heights illegal drug trade is described in this excerpt from a 1978 New York magazine article titled "Gunfights in the Cocaine Corral": Over the past three years, in this nice, quiet neighborhood, 27 people have been killed and dozens have been injured.... The violence spreads to surround neighborhoods as cops and prosecutors fight
13482-646: The same name. Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Jackson Heights was 108,152, a decrease of 5,175 (4.6%) from the 113,327 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 1,101.36 acres (445.70 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 98.2 inhabitants per acre (62,800/sq mi; 24,300/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 17.2% (18,567) White , 2.0% (2,210) African American , 0.1% (145) Native American , 22.0% (23,781) Asian , 0.0% (9) Pacific Islander , 0.5% (583) from other races , and 1.6% (1,736) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56.5% (61,121) of
13608-464: The school had communist leanings. Instead of attending school, Guare was assigned home study and took exams intermittently, which allowed him time to go to the movies and see all the hits of the time. This had a lasting influence on Guare and his career. He attended Georgetown University and the Yale School of Drama , graduating in 1962 with a M.F.A in Playwriting. Under the direction of Georgetown's Donn B. Murphy , his play The Toadstool Boy , about
13734-609: The son of film star Sidney Poitier . It has been the most highly praised and widely produced of Guare's full-length plays. It was made into a film in 1993, starring Stockard Channing and Will Smith . Four Baboons Adoring the Sun was presented on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater from February 22, 1992, to April 19, 1992, and was nominated for the 1992 Tony Award, Best Play. Lake Hollywood (1999) and A Few Stout Individuals (2002) both received their world premieres at Signature Theatre. A Few Stout Individuals
13860-437: The tennis courts, community garden, and the former golf course—between 76th and 78th streets and 34th and 37th avenues—all of which were built upon during the 1940s and 1950s. The corporation also began erecting traditional six-story apartment buildings. Dunolly Gardens, the last garden apartment Thomas designed, was an exception, a modernistic group of six buildings completed in 1939. The corner windows, considered innovative in
13986-634: The theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the Broadway production of Lysistrata , through which, though it ran a failing four days, he received an invitation to understudy for Anna Lucasta . Poitier would later befriend Harry Belafonte at the American Negro Theater. In 1947, Poitier was a founding member of the Committee for the Negro in the Arts (CNA), an organization whose participants were committed to
14112-552: The time by contrasting it with Paris's open acceptance of Black people . In 1963 he starred in Lilies of the Field . For this role, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor and became the first Black male to win the award. His satisfaction at this honor was undermined by his concerns that this award was more of the industry congratulating itself for having him as a token and it would inhibit him from asking for more substantive considerations afterward. Poitier worked relatively little over
14238-539: The unique architecture of its buildings, while others move for its cultural diversity. Most of the original neighborhood, comprising the garden city apartment buildings, was made a National Register Historic District and a New York State Historic Register District. The Jackson Heights New York State and National Register Districts range from 93rd Street through 69th Street between Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. Some property fronting on Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, as well as some "cut-outs", are not inside
14364-410: The unit—making it the second most overcrowded neighborhood in the city, behind only Elmhurst. The 2020 census data from New York City Department of City Planning showed that there were 54,300 Hispanic residents, 27,600 Asian residents, there were between 10,000 to 19,999 White residents and less than 5000 Black residents. Jackson Heights is among the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City and
14490-518: The wonderful work" to warm applause. In 2021, the academy dedicated the lobby of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles as the "Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby" in his honor. Poitier was a lifelong activist for racial and social justice. He declined film roles he considered based on offensive racial stereotypes. From 1995 to 2003, Poitier served as a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company . In April 1997, Poitier
14616-444: Was a big name, he had previously directed the famous Roxie Hart (1942) with Ginger Rogers and Magic Town (1947) with James Stewart . What Poitier remembered indelibly was the wonderful humanity in this talented director. Wellman had a sensitivity that Poitier thought was profound, which Wellman felt he needed to hide." Poitier later praised Wellman for inspiring his thoughtful approach to directing when he found himself taking
14742-539: Was a porn theater during its later years, before it was demolished in 2008. The Colony Theater, on 82nd Street north of Roosevelt Avenue, opened in 1935 and closed in 1991. The Jackson, later an Indian-owned theater called the Jackson Heights Cinema, on 82nd Street south of Roosevelt Avenue, was demolished in March 2017. The Boulevard Theater, on Northern Boulevard and 83rd Street, is now a Latin-American restaurant of
14868-748: Was also named an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. In 1986, he gave the Commencement Address to the University of Miami graduating class and was given the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts. Poitier was described as an icon in his obituary by USA Today . Laura Jacobs for Vanity Fair hailed Poitier as the " Martin Luther King Jr. of
14994-519: Was appointed ambassador from the Bahamas to Japan, a position he held until 2007. From 2002 to 2007, he was concurrently the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO . Poitier was first married to Juanita Hardy from April 29, 1950, until 1965. Though Poitier became a resident of Mount Vernon in Westchester County, New York , in 1956, they raised their family in Stuyvesant, New York , in a house on
15120-479: Was aware of this pattern himself but was conflicted on the matter. He wanted more varied roles; but he also felt obliged to set an example with his characters, by challenging old stereotypes, as he was the only major actor of African descent being cast in leading roles in the American film industry at the time. For instance, in 1966, he turned down an opportunity to play the lead in an NBC television production of Othello with that spirit in mind. Despite this, many of
15246-471: Was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. He received numerous honors including the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1982, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1995, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1999, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2002. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama . In 2016, he was awarded
15372-583: Was on Sidney Poitier. He had a vocal precision and physical power and grace that at moments seemed almost supernatural." Harry Belafonte , Morgan Freeman , Viola Davis , Whoopi Goldberg , Lupita Nyong'o , Halle Berry , Ava DuVernay , Oprah Winfrey , Octavia Spencer , Jeffrey Wright , Giancarlo Esposito , Quincy Jones , Michael Eisner , Ron Howard and others also paid tribute. Broadway paid tribute when its theaters dimmed their lights on January 19, 2022, at 7:45 pm ET. The Ebertfest film festival announced it would be dedicating its 2022 event to
15498-487: Was one of the rare films at the time to depict an interracial romance in a positive light, as interracial marriage historically had been illegal in most states of the United States. It was still illegal in 17 states—mostly Southern states—until June 12, 1967, six months before the film was released. The film was a critical and financial success. In his film review, Roger Ebert described Poitier's character as "a noble, rich, intelligent, handsome, ethical medical expert" and that
15624-426: Was privately developed separately from the Queensboro Corporation. The structures on that stretch of 90th Street are mostly Tudor buildings. There were five historic movie theaters in Jackson Heights, which have all been either repurposed or closed. The Art Deco Earle Theater, opened in 1936 on 37th Road between 73rd and 74th streets, was a neighborhood movie theater before becoming a porn theater and then, with
15750-419: Was rejected by audiences. Contrary to what was expected of black actors at the time, Poitier's tone deafness made him unable to sing. Determined to refine his acting skills and rid himself of his noticeable Bahamian accent, he spent the next six months dedicating himself to achieving theatrical success. He modeled his legendary speech pattern after radio personality Norman Brokenshire . On his second attempt at
15876-549: Was sent to Miami to live with his brother's large family, but Poitier found it impossible to adjust to the racism in Jim Crow era Florida. At sixteen, he moved to New York City, looking to become an actor, holding a string of jobs as a dishwasher in the meantime. After failing his first audition with the American Negro Theatre due to his inability to fluently read the script, an elderly Jewish waiter sat with him every night for several months, helping him to improve his reading by using
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