Sidney Poitier

For his daughter, the actress, see Sydney Tamiia Poitier.

Sidney Poitier
KBE
Poitier in 1968
Born(1927-02-20)February 20, 1927
Miami, Florida, U.S.
DiedJanuary 6, 2022(2022-01-06) (aged 94)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Nationality
  • American
  • Bahamian
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film director
  • diplomat
Years active1946–2009
WorksFull list
Spouses
Juanita Hardy
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1965)​
​
(m. 1976)​
PartnerDiahann Carroll (1959–1968)
Children6, including Sydney Tamiia
AwardsFull list
Ambassador of the Bahamas
1997–2007Ambassador to Japan
2002–2007Ambassador to UNESCO
Military career
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1944
Battles / warsWorld War II

Sidney Poitier KBE (/ˈpwɑːtjeɪ/ PWAH-tyay;[1] February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first Black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.[2] He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. In 1999, he was ranked among the "American Film Institute's 100 Stars".[3][4] Poitier was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.[5][6][7]

Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas, then still a Crown colony, but he was born in Miami, Florida, while they were visiting, which automatically granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He joined the American Negro Theatre, landing his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film Blackboard Jungle (1955). Poitier gained stardom for his leading roles in films such as The Defiant Ones (1958) for which he made history becoming the first African American to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. Additionally Poitier won the Silver Bear for Best Actor for that performance. In 1964, he won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor[8][note 1] for Lilies of the Field (1963).[9][10]

Poitier broke ground playing strong leading African American male roles in films such as Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965). He acted in three films in 1967, films which tackled race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night, the latter of which earned him Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations. In a poll the next year he was voted the US's top box-office star.[11] Poitier made his directorial film debut with Buck and the Preacher (1972) followed by A Warm December (1973), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), and Stir Crazy (1980). He later starred in Shoot to Kill (1988) and Sneakers (1992).

Poitier was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.[12][13] He received numerous honors including the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1982, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1995, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1999, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2002.[14] In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.[15] In 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.[13] From 1997 to 2007, he was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.[16]

  1. ^ "NLS Other Writings: Say How, M-P". National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) | Library of Congress. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Dave (April 14, 1964). "Sidney Poitier First Black Ever To Receive 'Best Actor' Oscar". Variety. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Sidney Poitier". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "The 6th annual screen actors guild awards". sagawards.org. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "What Was Sidney Poitier's Net Worth Upon His Death at Age 94?". finance.yahoo.com. January 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Legendary Actor Sidney Poitier Dead at 94". E! Online. January 7, 2022.
  7. ^ "Actor, civil rights pioneer, Sidney Poitier dies – DW – 01/07/2022". dw.com.
  8. ^ Goodykoontz, Bill (February 25, 2014). "Oscar win proved Sidney Poitier was second to none". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  9. ^ Awards for Sidney Poitier at IMDb
  10. ^ Television, Hearst (January 7, 2022). "Sidney Poitier, groundbreaking actor and Hollywood legend, dead at 94". Times Union. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top Ten Money Making Stars". Quigley Publishing Co. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  12. ^ "Award of Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) to Sidney Poitier, actor... | The National Archives". Discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Sidney Poitier to be Honoured with BAFTA Fellowship". BAFTA. January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  14. ^ "Sidney Poitier awards: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 29, 2010. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  15. ^ McCann, Ruth; Anne E. Kornblut (September 13, 2009). "Sidney Poitier, Sen. Ted Kennedy Among 16 Who Receive Medal of Freedom". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  16. ^ "Legendary Actor Sidney Poitier Dead at 94". NBC. January 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.


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