Sydney Tamiia Poitier Movies
The similar cognomen is not coincidental: actress
Sydney Tamiia Poitier is indeed the daughter of legendary stage and screen icon
Sidney Poitier. Born to the famous thespian and actress
Joanna Shimkus in 1973 (the youngest of
Sidney's six daughters),
Sydney attended New York University beginning in 1991, then started to chalk up acting assignments in the late '90s, including the telemovie
Free of Eden (opposite her dad), the
Clint Eastwood thriller
True Crime, and the miniseries
Noah's Ark (all three in 1999). In time,
Poitier also landed the lead (and title character) on the 2003 UPN sitcom
Abby, co-starring
Kadeem Hardison (
A Different World), but that program folded soon after it bowed; the actress fared better with her role as Mallory Dent on the teen-oriented detective series
Veronica Mars (2004).
Poitier achieved her breakthrough, however, with two roles: that of Jungle Julia, a young vixen hunted down and slain by psychopathic Stuntman Mike (
Kurt Russell) in
Quentin Tarantino's
Death Proof segment of the exploitation tribute
Grindhouse (2007), and FBI agent Carrie Rivai in
Knight Rider (2008), director
Steven Shill's made-for-television tribute to the iconic 1980s series of the same name. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

- 2008
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Based on the 1980's series starring David Hasselhoff, Knight Rider follows the adventures of Mike Traceur (Justin Bruening), the estranged son of the original series' main character Michael Knight. After inadvertently becoming involved in the top secret work of his father - whom he never knew - Mike finds that his tremendous expertise as a soldier just happens to make him the perfect candidate to become the new Knight Rider: the driver of a super enhanced car with tremendous intelligence known as KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer). Now, tasked with tracking down mercenaries, busting top secret drug rings, and tracking down powerful people, Mike finds himself behind the wheel of a life he never even knew existed though his biggest challenge might be reigning in his cowboy attitude. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, (more)

- 2008
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- 2007
- R
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In Death Proof -- director Tarantino's take on such peddle-to-the-metal shockers as White Line Fever -- Kurt Russell stars as an engine-revving psychopath who prefers to take out his beautiful victims at 200 mph. Originally released into theaters on a double bill with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror under the Grindhouse banner, Death Proof finds a group of ladies out on the town pitted against a mysterious figured named Stuntman Mike (Russell), whose vintage automobile has been partially modified to withstand even the most extreme auto collision. Though the maniacal driver himself always comes out relatively unscathed, the same certainly can't be said for the poor young lass in his passenger seat -- or anyone unfortunate enough to be on the road when the urge to kill strikes for that matter. With a list of potential road-kill candidates that includes Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Ferlito, Death Proof takes viewers on an adrenaline-infused drive that's as sexy as it is shocking. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, (more)

- 2007
- R
Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino and Sin City director Robert Rodriguez join forces to offer a cinematic tribute to the blood-soaked exploitation epics of yesteryear with this hyper-violent coupling of two full-length features punctuated by a collection of outrageous trailers. The first segment, directed by Rodriguez and entitled Planet Terror, details the violent struggle between a ravenous army of zombie-like humanoids who have taken control of the planet and the remaining survivors who refuse to go down without a fight. Freddy Rodriguez, Naveen Andrews, and Rose McGowan headline a cast that also includes Marley Shelton, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, and Tom Savini. In Death Proof -- director Tarantino's take on such peddle-to-the-metal shockers as White Line Fever -- Kurt Russell stars as an engine-revving psychopath who prefers to take out his beautiful victims at 200 mph. With a list of potential roadkill candidates that includes Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Ferlito, Death Proof takes viewers on an adrenaline-infused drive that's as sexy as it is shocking. Its tantalizing title borrowed from the term frequently used to describe the seedy, 1970s-era inner-city movie theaters that screened excessive, low-budget independent films containing copious amounts of violence and nudity as a means of offering counter-programming to the decidedly more restrained big-budget studio films, Grindhouse takes its love for these unabashedly sleazy efforts one step further by offering a jaw-dropping collection of fake exploitation trailers from such directors as Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, (more)

- 2006
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The day's rounds require that George (T.R. Knight) team up with Derek (Patrick Dempsey)--and, less harmoniously, that Callie (Sara Ramirez, now a series regular) team up with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo). In other developments, Finn (Chris O'Donnell) gets an update on the wellbeing of Meredith's dog Doc; Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is all primed for the transplant, but the donated heart suddenly becomes unavailable, forcing Izzie (Katherine Heigl) to take drastic measures; and Callie has something very important to say to George. The episode comes to a shocking climax as Burke (Isaiah Washington is literally laid low by an unexpected catastrophe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2006
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Popular comic Wayne Brady stars as a skilled young advertising executive who knows exactly what he wants in a woman, and isn't willing to let his disillusion with the dating scene prevent him from finding true love. Upon assembling a list of attributes that would define his ideal woman, the ambitious adman sets out to see if she truly exists. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Wayne Brady, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, (more)

- 2004
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Season one of Veronica Mars finds both the title character (Kristen Bell) and her ex-sheriff father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), regarded as lepers in the affluent community of Neptune -- and it's all because Keith made public his suspicion that Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), the town's richest man, killed his own daughter (and Veronica's best friend), Lilly (Amanda Seyfried). Hoping to find Lilly's murderer and redeem her father's reputation, 17-year-old Veronica assists Keith in his efforts to run a private detective agency -- and while in school, she tirelessly crusades for justice as a reporter for the student newspaper. Early in the season, Veronica finds herself with two loyal allies when she protects nerdy new kid Wallace (Percy Daggs III) from school bully Weevil (Francis Capra) -- and then, in the spirit of "fair and balanced" dispersion of justice, she clears Weevil from an unfounded charge of theft. Meanwhile, several of Veronica's fellow Neptunians display bizarre behavior suggesting that they know more about Lilly's death than they're willing to admit, notably Lilly's seriously disturbed brother, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), and his wealthy, arrogant best friend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Also, Veronica finds time to delve into the mystery of her mother, Lianne (Corinne Bohrer), who for apparently no reason had abandoned her family a year earlier. And all the while, Veronica does the "Nancy Drew" bit, 21st century style, using her acute detecting skills to restore shattered reputations, expose the dangers of cult worship, and gather vital clues pertinent to kidnappings, switched-at-birth cases, instances of alleged sexual harassment, and illegal fight clubs. The season ends with the episode "Leave It to Beaver," in which Veronica at long last has the opportunity to solve Lilly's murder -- but in so doing she may betray the trust of one near and dear to her. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, (more)

- 2004
- R
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Filmmaker Rodrigo GarcĂa takes an unusual look into the lives of nine different women in this episodic drama. Each of the film's nine sequences has been staged as a single shot, using the Steadicam system to allow the camera to follow the action fluidly and without cuts. In these short episodes (lasting between ten and 14 minutes), Holly (Lisa Gay Hamilton) has a brief moment of reverie while confronting the specters of her past in her old neighborhood. Maggie (Glenn Close) escorts her young daughter Maria (Dakota Fanning) to a cemetery as they visit the graves of their family members. Ruth (Sissy Spacek) is a married woman contemplating an affair while visiting Henry (Aidan Quinn) in his hotel room. Diana (Robin Wright Penn) unexpectedly runs into an old boyfriend, Damian (Jason Isaacs), while shopping for groceries. Camilla (Kathy Baker) is a hospital patient awaiting surgery for cancer. Samantha (Amanda Seyfried) is a teenage girl who helps look after her handicapped father Larry (Ian McShane). Sandra (Elpidia Carrillo) is a female prison inmate who is expecting a visit from her children. Sonia (Holly Hunter) lashes out at her boyfriend Martin (Stephen Dillane) when she finds out he's been cheating on her. And Lorna (Amy Brenneman) has an unexpectedly moving encounter with her ex-husband Andrew (William Fichtner) as she pays her respects to his second wife, who has just passed away. Nine Lives premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, (more)

- 2004
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- 2003
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Hastily assembled as a mid-season replacement for the failed series Haunted, the UPN sitcom Abby starred Sydney Tamiia Poitier as Abby Newman, the attractive young producer of the TV weekly "Northwest Sports Report." Splitting up with her self-absorbed boyfriend Will Jefferies (Kadeem Hardison), Abby is reluctant to give up the posh rent-controlled San Francisco apartment that she and Will had been sharing. Since Will feels the same way, the couple decides to remain platonic roommates (it's Will & Grace with two straight people). Other regulars included Sean O'Bryan as Abby's boss Roger Tomkins, Tangie Ambrose as her sister Joanne Walker, and Randy J. Goodwin as her would-be beau Max Ellis. Abby premiered January 6, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Kadeem Hardison, (more)

- 2001
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First seen over the Showtime cable network on June 29, 2001, On the Edge is a compendium of three short science-fiction films, each with a decidedly feminist slant. The first segment, directed by Helen Mirren, is "Happy Birthday," in which a straight-A student (Sidney Tamilia Poitier) seeks recourse after she is "quota'd out" of graduate school. Next up is "The Other Side," directed by Mary Stuart Masterson, wherein a scientific genius (Anthony LaPaglia) clones himself upon learning that he has inoperable cancer -- only to find himself and his clone as two points in a romantic triangle. Closing out the program is writer/director Anne Heche's "Reaching Normal," the tale of a bored housewife (Andie McDowell) and her "telepathic twin," an eccentric college professor (Paul Rudd). The best of the batch is "Happy Birthday"; the other two stories are distressingly predictable. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, Paul Rudd, (more)

- 2001
- R
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Playwright Tyrone Atkins lost a promising career in theater and film -- as well as his home, his belongings, and (for a time) his freedom -- when he became addicted to crack cocaine. After conquering his habit, Atkins used his experiences living on the streets as the basis for this story about a group of homeless addicts attempting to hold on to the last shreds of their dignity. Cody (Thomas Jefferson Byrd) was once a respected jazz musician, but after getting hooked on crack, Cody abandoned his wife and son and now lives in a makeshift hut in Los Angeles's MacArthur Park. Cody scrapes up enough money to feed his habit through petty crime and acting as a go-between for more privileged users willing to pay a premium to him rather than hunt down hard-nosed dealer Freddie (B-Real). Cody's friend Blackie (Miguel Nunez) gets along in much the same way, but he finds himself in hot water after he takes off with the money of downwardly mobile TV actor Steve (Balthazar Getty), who gave him a handful of cash to score drugs for him. Cody is forced to take a long look at his responsibilities when he's confronted by his son Terry (Brandon Adams), whom he hasn't seen in years; Cody also runs into Karen (Rachel Hunter), once a fellow addict, who wants him to know there is a way out of the cycle of addiction. MacArthur Park's supporting cast also includes Julie Delpy, Lori Petty, Ellen Cleghorne, David Faustino, Sticky Fingaz, and Sydney Tamia Poitier, while R&B star Macy Gray contributed to the soundtrack; the film was enthusiastically received in its screenings at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Brandon Adams, (more)

- 1998
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In the small, largely African-American Southern town of New Haven, a young man finds himself caught between two rival factions: one, a bunch of narcissistic frat boys, the other, a group of homeys in the hood. It doesn't take long for tensions to come to a boil. Hill Harper, Lande Scott, and Monica Calhoun star, with guest appearances by Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Brock Peters. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Hill Harper, Monica Calhoun, (more)