Oscar-winning Bahamian actor and former ambassador Sir Sidney Poitier has reportedly died. Poitier passed away at the age of 94, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell confirmed on Friday, Jan. 7, according to Eyewitness News Bahamas. A cause of death for the beloved actor has not been revealed at this time.
Eyewitness News Bahamas shared news of Poitier’s death in a tweet that read, “Beloved Bahamian actor and former ambassador Sir Sidney Poitier has died. He was 94.” The statement went on to note that Poitier’s death came just after it was announced in December 2021 that “a Broadway play about the trailblazing career of the visionary actor was announced.” The tweet concluded, “Sir Sidney’s death was confirmed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.” Jasper Williams-Ward of the Nassau Guardian also confirmed Poitier’s passing. In a tweet regarding his death, Williams-Ward noted that Poitier “was the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was also the first Bahamian actor to do so.”
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Born in February 1927, Poitier was automatically granted US citizenship after being unexpectedly born in Miami while his parents were visiting from the Bahamas, where he would grow up. After moving back to the U.S. when he was just 15, Poitier went on to land his first film role in 1955’s Blackboard Jungle, according to the Independent, a role that would be followed by more than 50 others and lead to him becoming the first African American actor to win an Academy Award for best actor. He first entered the award circuit with 1958’s The Defiant Ones, a credit that landed him a nomination for Best Actor alongside co-star Tony Curtis. Just six years later, Poitier won Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Lilies in the Field. He later earned two more Academy Award nominations, 10 Golden Globes nominations, two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, six BAFTA nominations, eight Laurel nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination.
Throughout his decades-long career, Poitier starred in dozens of films. In 1967 alone, he starred in three films – To Sir, with Love, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night – that addressed the issue of race relations. His other film credits include A Raisin in the Sun, A Patch of Blue, and They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, among many others. The legendary actor also directed a number of films, including the 1980 Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder-starring comedy film Stir Crazy.
Amid news of his passing, an outpouring of tributes have been shared on social media, with actor Jeffrey Wright calling Poitier “a landmark actor. One of a kind. What a beautiful, gracious, warm, genuinely regal man. RIP, Sir. With love.” Somebody else remembered Poitier as a “legend. Trail Blazer. Visionary,” adding, “Rest in Power to a Giant of Cinema: Sidney Poitier.”
