Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Sydney Tamiia Poitier (born November 15, 1973) is an American television and film actress.
Sydney Tamiia Poitier | |
|---|---|
 Poitier at premiere of Grindhouse in Austin, Texas in 2007 | |
| Born | November 15, 1973 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Sydney Poitier Heartsong |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) | Dorian Heartsong (m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | |
Early life and family
Born in Los Angeles, Poitier is the daughter of Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier and Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus.[1] Her mother is of Lithuanian Jewish[2] and Irish Catholic descent.[3] She has an older sister, Anika. She also has four older half-sisters, Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina, from her father's first marriage.[4] Poitier's great-uncle has claimed that the Poitier ancestors on her grandfather's side had migrated from Haiti[5] and were probably part of the runaway slaves who had established maroon communities throughout the Bahamas, including Cat Island. He mentions that the surname Poitier is a French name, and there were no white Poitiers from the Bahamas.[6]
Poitier attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a bachelor's degree in acting.[1] She also studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting.[7][8]
Career
Poitier began her career of acting in the late 1990s. In 2001, she landed her first role on television in the NBC drama series First Years. The series was canceled after three episodes. In 2003, she starred in the UPN sitcom Abby. That series was also canceled during its first season. Later that same year, she had a recurring role in Joan of Arcadia, where she played Rebecca Askew, the love interest of Joan's older brother, Kevin (Jason Ritter). She was also a regular on the first season of Veronica Mars.[9] However, she left the show after only appearing in four episodes because of budget cuts.
In 2007, Poitier starred in Death Proof, director Quentin Tarantino's segment of the movie Grindhouse, as radio DJ Jungle Julia. The next year, she had a co-starring role in the new Knight Rider series, as FBI Agent Carrie Rivai.[10] In 2011, she guest-starred on two episodes of Private Practice.
From 2018 she had a lead role in Carter, a humorous cop-type Canadian show as Det Sam Shaw.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Park Day | Sophia Johnson | |
| 1999 | True Crime | Jane March | |
| 2001 | MacArthur Park | Linda | |
| Happy Birthday | Hannah | ||
| 2004 | The Devil Cats | Hellena Handbasket | |
| 2005 | Nine Lives | Vanessa | |
| 2006 | Hood of Horror | Wanda | |
| 2007 | Death Proof | Jungle Julia | |
| The List | Cecile | ||
| 2008 | Blues | Dee | |
| 2008 | Knight Rider | Carrie Rivai | |
| 2010 | Yard Sale | Kate Butler | Short |
| Page 36 | Miss Gray | ||
| 2011 | Big Tweet | Big Tweet's Girl | |
| 2012 | The Shooting Star Salesman | Zoey | |
| 2013 | The Mouseketeer | Dina Gerger | |
| 2014 | Flawed | Jana Conley | |
| 2015 | Too Late | Veronica | |
| Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn | Tami (voice) | ||
| 2017 | Clinical | Clara |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Free of Eden | Nicole Turner | TV film |
| 1999 | Noah's Ark | Ruth | TV miniseries |
| 2001 | First Years | Riley Kessler | Main role |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Dr. Leslie Coburn | "The Placebo Effect" |
| Abby | Abigail 'Abby' Walker | Main role | |
| 2003–04 | Joan of Arcadia | Rebecca Askew | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2004 | Veronica Mars | Mallory Dent | "Credit Where Credit's Due", "You Think You Know Somebody", "Return of the Kane", "The Girl Next Door" |
| 2006 | Grey's Anatomy | Deborah Fleiss | "17 Seconds" |
| 2008–09 | Knight Rider | Carrie Rivai | Main role |
| 2011 | Supah Ninjas | Katherine / Katara | "Katara" |
| Private Practice | Michelle | "Love and Lies", "Step One" | |
| 2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Grace Tilwell | "I Ka Wa Mamua" |
| Kendra | Leslie | Web series | |
| 2014 | Chicago P.D. | Det. Mia Sumners | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2018–present | Homecoming | Lydia Belfast | Recurring role |
| Carter | Det. Sam Shaw | Main role |
References
- McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-786-43790-0.
- Ogle Davis, Sally (July 20, 1971). "Personalities – Shimkus An Anti-Actress". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved November 14, 2018 – via News.Google.com.
- "The Naked Truth Is: Joanna Isn't". The Calgary Herald. Women's News Service. September 4, 1970. p. 15. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- Nipson, Herbert (May 1988). "Sidney Poitier Is Back". Ebony. Vol. 43 no. 7. p. 40. ISSN 0012-9011.
- "Bio – Sidney Poitier". Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- Goudsouzian, Aram (April 26, 2016). Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon. Grand Haven, Michigan: Brilliance Publishing. ISBN 9780807828434. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- "Sidney Poitier and Daughter Sydney Maniia [sic] Star in TV Movie About Leaving the Projects and Wanting a Better Life in 'Free of Eden'". Jet. Vol. 95 no. 12. Johnson Publishing Company. February 22, 1999. p. 64. ISSN 0021-5996.
- "Sydney Tamiia Poitier Tackles Racy Sports World and Rocky Love Life as Star of New TV Show 'Abby'". Jet. Vol. 103 no. 5. Johnson Publishing Company. January 27, 2003. p. 60. ISSN 0021-5996.
- "Poitier on a mission to UPN's 'Mars'". Chicago Tribune. August 2, 2004. p. 46.
- Warn, Sarah (February 18, 2008). "Sydney Tamiia Poitier Plays Queer in the 'Knight Rider' TV Movie". AfterEllen.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
