First ever black man to win an Oscar Academy award for best actor, Sidney Poitier dies at 94 years.
The news of his demise were confirmed by Fred Mitchell, Bahamas Minister of foreign affairs.
Sidney was a respected humanitarian and diplomat.
He won the Academy Award for best actor for ‘Lilies of the Field’ in 1963, in which he played an itinerant laborer who helps a group of White nuns build a chapel.
In a tweet former US President Barack Obama praised him for epitomizing dignity and grace
‘Through his groundbreaking roles and singular talent, Sidney Poitier epitomized dignity and grace, revealing the power of movies to bring us closer together. He also opened doors for a generation of actors. Michelle and I send our love to his family and legion of fans.’ he tweeted
Poitier was born in Miami, grew up on a tomato farm in the Bahamas before moving to New York.
In 1967 Poitier appeared as a Philadelphia detective fighting bigotry in small-town Mississippi in “In the Heat of the Night” and a doctor who wins over his White fiancée’s skeptical parents in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
Poitier rejected film roles based on offensive racial stereotypes .He said he felt a responsibility to represent Black excellence at a time when the vast majority of movie stars were white and many Black performers were relegated to subservient or buffoonish roles.
