Hollywood’s first black Actor Sidney Poitier dies aged 94, say senior Bahamas officials.
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper made the announcement on Facebook, without mentioning the cause of death. The news was also confirmed by an official from the Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have lost an icon, a hero, a mentor, a fighter, and a national treasure,” he said.
The first black actor to win an Oscar
Poitier was the first black winner of the best actor Oscar for his role in “Lilies of the Field” in 1964, five years after having been first nominated for the award.
His success was an inspiration for a generation during America’s civil rights movement. His portfolio was enhanced in 1967 when he starred in three films in a single year, at a time when segregation was rife in much of the United States.
Denzel on Sidney Poitier
The groundwork for a star like Washington was done by Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win an acting Oscar. Denzel Washington wishes he could have worked with the retired actor: “God bless him. He’s still here. But yeah, I missed that opportunity.”
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