Sidney Poitier’s defiance, grace and style changed me – and shaped my life as an actor | David Harewood

His roles in films like To Sir with Love mirrored my own experiences, and made me rethink what was possible

As a young kid, there really weren't many black figures to aspire to, to mould yourself to. I was always glued to the telly and one night my dad put on this film, In the Heat of the Night. I will always remember the moment when Sidney Poitier came on screen as Virgil Tibbs. Seeing any black person on TV was extraordinary, but seeing someone with such ability, such grace, such style, changed me.

I knew how bad racism was in the US at that time, and watching that film I feared for this black character in that world. But there's a moment where an older white gentleman, Endicott, slaps Tibbs, and he immediately slaps him back in the face. There was an audible gasp in our living room, quickly followed by cheers. It was a thing we'd never seen before - he was standing up, he was strong, and he wasn't taking any shit.

David Harewood is an actor