A few days after Betty White, Hollywood has lost another of its icons: Sidney Poitier. The American-Bahamian actor passed away at the age of 94, announced Fred Mitchell, the Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Sidney Poitier was the first black actor to win an Oscar for best actor for his performance in the movie Lilies of the Field by Ralph Nelson. A few years earlier, he had already been nominated for this award for his role as Noah Cullen in the film The Defiant Ones. The award was finally given to David Niven for his performance in Separate Tables. Almost 40 years later, he will again be honored with an honorary Oscar “for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the motion picture industry with dignity, style and intelligence throughout the world.”
Sidney Poitier was also known for his roles in the movies A Patch of Blue, A Raisin in the Sun, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night.
Following the announcement of his death, President Joe Biden praised “the once-in-a-generation actor and advocate whose work carried so much dignity, power, and grace that it changed the world on and off the big screen.” Former U.S. President Barack Obama also highlighted Sidney Poitier‘s “dignity and grace” that helped reveal “the power of movies to bring us closer together.”
