36th Oscars (1964) | Sidney Poitier Wins Best Actor |

This win made him only the second Black actor to win a competitive Oscar, following Hattie McDaniel's Supporting Actress win in 1939. The Best Actor category would not see another Black winner until Denzel Washington for Training Day (2001). Sidney Poitier Academy Awards Acceptance Speech

Poitier’s acceptance speech at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was famously brief and dignified: Sidney Poitier Wins Best Actor | 36th Oscars (1964)

He won against Paul Newman ( Hud ), Rex Harrison ( Cleopatra ), Richard Harris ( This Sporting Life ), and Albert Finney ( Tom Jones ). This win made him only the second Black