His connection to film noir was slender, but his appearance in countless films where he embodied the dynamism and the dignity of the African-American male created an ongoing and enduring legacy.
For noir, we have two distinctly different performances in NO WAY OUT (1950) and in EDGE OF THE CITY (1957), with the latter "edging" into social problem film territory via a toughened story line and a replacement co-star--John Cassavetes for Don Murray (from the original TV version "A Man Is Ten Feet Tall")--that gave the story some extra grit.
Poitier made only twelve films over the last 45 years of his life, but the first three dozen or so that he made during his heyday were more than enough to cement his achievement and reputation for all time.
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