In Memoriam: Sidney Poitier, trailblazing actor and icon

Sidney Poitier, whose groundbreaking work made him Hollywood’s first Black movie star and the first Black man to win an Oscar for best actor, has died.

He was 94.

Actor Sidney Poitier has passed away

Clint Watson, press secretary for the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, confirmed that Poitier died Thursday evening.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas Chester Cooper said he was “conflicted with great sadness and a sense of celebration when I learned of the passing of Sidney Poitier.

“Sadness that he would no longer be here to tell him how much he means to us, but a celebration that he did so much to show the world that those from the humblest beginnings can change the world and that we gave him his flowers while he was with us,” Cooper said.

“Through his groundbreaking roles and singular talent, Sidney Poitier epitomized dignity and grace, revealing the power of movies to bring us closer together,” former President Barack Obama said in a statement about Poitier’s death.

“He also opened doors for a generation of actors. Michelle and I send our love to his family and legion of fans.”

No cause of death was revealed.

Sidney Poitier is an icon

The Bahamian-American star was granted US citizenship after being unexpectedly born in Miami while his parents were visiting.

He grew up in the Bahamas but moved to the U.S. when he turned 15 after his parents decided to send him to live with an older brother in Miami – where they figured he would have better opportunities.

After a short stay in Miami, Poitier moved to New York and started dabbling in acting.

But with limited education, Poitier would struggle reading scripts and took on a job as a dish washer.

An older person waiter took an interest in the teen and spent nights after work reading the newspaper with him to improve his comprehension, grammar, and punctuation. That encounter would forever change his life.

Soon after, Poitier was well on his way.

He landed work with the American Negro Theatre, where he took acting lessons, eased his Bahamian accent, and landed a stage role as an understudy to Harry Belafonte.

This led to roles on Broadway and eventually caught the attention of Hollywood.

And well, the rest is history.

Poitier became a legend and notably Hollywood’s first Black star.

Many of his best-known films explored racial tensions as Americans were grappling with social changes wrought by the civil rights movement.

Poitier’s career included iconic roles in the classic Hollywood films such as “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, “Lillies of the Field”, “In The Heat of The Night” and “Uptown Saturday Night”.

Achievements

His role in Lilies of the Field earned him his first Oscar for Best Actor, becoming the first African American ever to win an Academy Awards.

Poitier was a talented entertainer and has won numerous accolades across the globe, from a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1974 to an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, a Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 and an honorary Oscar in 2002, he turned toward other artistic achievements including publishing three autobiographies and a novel, Montaro Caine (2013).

Though he has rightfully proven to be a pioneer, Poitier said his biggest achievement was his family.

“My wife and children mean the most to me,” he told PEOPLE. His wife, Joanna Shimkus, whom he married in 1976, quipped, “We’ve been together 49 years and I’m a good cook. I cook every night.”

Sidney Poitier is survived by wife Joanna Shimkus as well as five daughters: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Anika and Sydney. His daughter Gina Poitier died in 2018.