Legendary film actor Sydney Poitier, who was a pioneer in black actors in Hollywood, passed away tonight (Friday) at the age of 94.
Poitier was born in Florida in 1927 to a rainbow family from the Bahamas, began his acting career in the early 1950s, and made his big break on Broadway when he starred in the play Raisin in the Sun - which deals with the experiences of a black family in Chicago in 1959. The play starred in 1959 And Poitiers even participated in the adaptation of the play in 1961.
In 1963 Poitiers became the first African-American actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in "Five Nuns and One Man."
Poitiers also won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for this performance.
Later in his long career, which lasted six decades, he starred in dozens of films, including As the Heat of the Night, Guess Who Came to Dine, Sneakers and more.
In addition to his cinematic achievements, Poitiers also served as Ambassador to the Bahamas in Japan, where he received honorary awards for Lifetime Achievement, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974 and even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barak Obama in 2009.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us