Tony Curtis died yesterday. I spent several years watching his movies and those of his peers. Some of that love started by discovering that Peter Fonda and Lucille Ball could make me laugh as hard as anyone else and some of it was learned in college.

One of my specialties in school was African American studies and my favorite courses were African America Film I and II. I was introduced to movies by ad about African Americans and the social injustices and policies of our country. But more important, I was introduced to some of the greatest stories and actors of our time. Stories and actors I may have never learned about had it not been for those classes.

One of those movies was The Defiant Ones starring Sydney Poiter and Tony Curtis. It was my introduction to Sydney Poiter, a wonderful film and I was later able to use the film to teach sociology classes about race.

It’s sad to say goodbye to a great contributor to our cinematic history.

This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.