Sidney Poitier’s performance as police detective Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night has been named the British public’s favourite by a black actor in a new poll.
A recent BFI study (pdf) found that in the British film industry, 13% of films featured at least one black actor in a leading role and 41% featured at least one black actor in a named character role.
The BFI’s creative director, Heather Stewart, used a symposium at the London film festival to call for more diversity and roles for black actors in British film.
The BFI asked the public to vote on a shortlist of 100 performances, encompassing both film and TV, and also enlisted a panel of 100 industry experts for a separate vote.