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Jan 7, 2022 · President Biden paid tribute to Sidney Poitier on Friday evening, remembering him as a “once-in-a-generation actor and advocate” whose work “changed the world on and off the big screen.”
- 2 min
- Rachel Knowles-Scott
Jan 23, 2022 · Sir Sidney Poitier 's memorial service will be held privately. In a statement shared with ET Sunday, the late actor's family announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Poitier's...
- 7 min
- Mona Khalifeh
- Early Life
- Career Breakthrough
- Filmmaker
- Activism and Diplomacy
- Widely Honored
- Poitier on Being A Groundbreaking Black Star
Poitier was born Feb. 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida, to Bahamian parents. Raised in the Bahamas, he came to the U.S. at 15 and worked as a dishwasher before landing an audition with the American Negro Theater. His first big success was on Broadway in “Lysistrata,” which was soon followed by breakout movie roles in “No Way Out” and “Blackboard Jungle,...
When Poitier starred in “The Defiant Ones” in 1958, his performance earned an Academy Award nomination. He starred in “A Raisin in the Sun” during its first run on Broadway in 1959; two years later, he reprised his role for the big screen. In 1963, for his performance in “Lilies of the Field,” Poitier won one of the most noteworthy Oscars of all ti...
Poitier’s later career included directing – with the Gene Wilder (1933–2016) and Richard Pryor (1940–2005)movie “Stir Crazy,” he created the highest-grossing film by an African-American director at the time. Other films that saw Poitier behind the camera include “Uptown Saturday Night,” “Stir Crazy,” and “Fast Forward.” Poitier also continued to ac...
In the 1960s, Poitier was also involved in the civil rights movement, joining Harry Belafonte when he traveled south for 1964’s Freedom Summer and becoming involved with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. A Bahamian citizen, Poitier was named ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan in 1997, holding the position until 2007. He was also the a...
Poitier was knighted in 1974, carrying the honor of Knight Commander of the British Empire. Other awards and honors bestowed on Poitier include life achievement awards from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film Institute, Kennedy Center Honors, NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame membership and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“It’s been an enormous responsibility. And I accepted it, and I lived in a way that showed how I respected that responsibility. I had to. In order for others to come behind me, there were certain things I had to do.” —from a 2000 interview with Oprah Winfrey
Jan 24, 2022 · The iconic actor and activist died on Jan. 6 at 94 due to heart failure. His family is arranging a private service for now, but may plan a public event later due to COVID-19.
- 2 min
- Ally Mauch
Jan 7, 2022 · 03:47 - Source: CNN. CNN —. “Beautiful,” “brilliant,” “grace” and “elegance” are just a few of the words used by those who paid tribute Friday to the late Sidney Poitier, one of ...
- 4 min
- Lisa Respers France
Sidney Poitier passed away. The obituary was featured in Legacy on January 7, 2022. View their obituary at Legacy.com
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Jan 7, 2022 · Obituaries. Sidney Poitier, trailblazing star who helped break down Hollywood color barriers, dies at 94. Sidney Poitier, who made history as the first Black man to win the Oscar for lead...
