The Great Sidney Poitier Dies Aged 94
Blackboard Jungle, Edge of the City, A Raisin in the Sun, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Defiant Ones, Dual At Diablo, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? and To Sir, With Love – the great Sidney Poitier had a tremendous career. It’s said to hear that the actor and director passed away on January 7, 2022 at the age of 94
In 1958 he became the first Black actor to be nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for for his role in The Defiant Ones (opposite Tony Curtis), and he took home the award for Lilies of the Field in 1963. He remained the only Black Best Actor Oscar winner until Denzel Washington won the award for Training Day in 2001.
Poitier’s family lived in the Bahamas, but he was born in Miami on 20 February, 1927 when his parents were visiting the city for the weekend – something which granted him U.S. citizenship. Throughout his lifetime he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, an honorary knighthood, a Kennedy Center Honor, and lifetime achievement honours from the Oscars, Golden Globes and SAG.
Aside from the above classics, Poitier also starred in Shoot To Kill (aka Deadly Pursuit), Sneakers and The Jackal.
Sidney Poitier 1927 – 2022
