Legendary actor Sidney Poitier to speak at session

Honolulu鈥擜cademy Award-winning actor, writer, director and diplomat Sidney Poitier will grace the ADA Distinguished Speaker Series stage Sept. 30 beginning at 5:30 p.m. for the Opening General Session of the 150th Annual Session of the American Dental Association.

Currently the Bahamas’ ambassador to Japan and UNESCO, Mr. Poitier received the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000, and in 2002 was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Mr. Poitier will share with annual session attendees the story of his life, from his childhood as the son of poor tomato farmers to his pioneering cinematic career, and discuss the importance of diversity and the humanitarian causes that most deeply concern him.

Since the early 1950s, Mr. Poitier appeared in a string of groundbreaking movies that addressed issues of racial and social inequality while working to achieve equality for himself and other black actors.

Some of his most popular films include “No Way Out,” “The Blackboard Jungle,” “Lilies of the Field,” “The Defiant Ones,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “In the Heat of the Night.”

Convening at the famous Waikiki Shell, this ADA-exclusive special event is free to all registered annual session attendees. Those attending will also enjoy a celebration of the ADA’s 150th anniversary in words, pictures and video, and recognition of Dr. Robert Kinsaul of Phenix City, Ala., the ADA’s 2008 Humanitarian Award recipient.

The ADA Distinguished Speaker Series is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products, a division of McNEIL-PPC Inc.