The older brother who helped raise actor Sidney Poitier. Cyril Poitier, the oldest of eight brothers and sisters, was born on Cat Island, Bahamas. He moved to Miami in 1929 at 18 and raised 10 children. In addition to their own children, the Poitier's took in Sidney, a disruptive 15-year-old sent to his big brother to be straightened out. "I was very strict with him. He'd always look up to me, listened to my advice," Cyril Poitier said in 1964 after his brother won an Academy Award for his role in "Lilies of the Field." Poitier held several jobs over the years, from handyman to bell man to luggage carrier at Miami International Airport. He also played bit roles in his brother's movies "Let's Do It Again," "Piece of the Action" and "Uptown Saturday Night." He also had a fairly major role in the film, "Savages from Hell "(1968).
The older brother who helped raise actor Sidney Poitier. Cyril Poitier, the oldest of eight brothers and sisters, was born on Cat Island, Bahamas. He moved to Miami in 1929 at 18 and raised 10 children. In addition to their own children, the Poitier's took in Sidney, a disruptive 15-year-old sent to his big brother to be straightened out. "I was very strict with him. He'd always look up to me, listened to my advice," Cyril Poitier said in 1964 after his brother won an Academy Award for his role in "Lilies of the Field." Poitier held several jobs over the years, from handyman to bell man to luggage carrier at Miami International Airport. He also played bit roles in his brother's movies "Let's Do It Again," "Piece of the Action" and "Uptown Saturday Night." He also had a fairly major role in the film, "Savages from Hell "(1968).
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