Detective Virgil Tibbs as played by Sidney Poitier

At a time when race relations and tensions were running high, civil rights had got going in America.  'They call me Mister Tibbs!' shouts the first black policeman in mainstream cinema. Audacious and humble, this African-American from the North refused to be intimidated by the Mississippi racism that enveloped the South at that time. 
Best Bit: When he slaps the white plantation owner. Take that prejudice! ” 

Mr Tibbs represents the changing point in attitudes towards African Americans in America.