Sadly, the ILOSM family has lost another icon. Recently, it was confirmed that 94-year-old actor Sidney Poitier has passed away. His cause of death is unknown, but the following has been established thus far:
from TMZ: Sidney’s death was verified to TMZ by the Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs’ office, but the details surrounding his demise are still unknown, as is the location of his death.
Mr. Poitier was among the most productive actors of his day, as you are all aware. He has fought and dismantled racial barriers in Hollywood during his career. Also, he appeared in some of the most well-known Black ’70s movies, such as “Uptown Saturday Night,” “A Piece of the Action,” and “Let’s DO IT AGAIN.”
The actor, who was born in the Bahamas, also had a significant effect on the acting world by becoming the first Black actor to win the Best Actor Oscar in 1963 for his leading part in “Lilies of the Field.”
Of course, we can’t forget about his well-known performances as Mark Thackeray in “to Sir with Love” and Detective Virgii Tibbs in “In the Heart of the Night,” in which he delivered the famed line “They call me Mr. Tibbs.”
Then there was the (at the time) highly contentious film “guess who’s coming to dinner,” in which Poitier played the major love interest to his white co-star in an interracial relationship. Each one of those three movies was released in 1967.
In addition to his acting achievements, Sidney Poitier was a supporter of the fight against Black injustice. He committed his life to the fights for civil rights, and in 2009, President Barak Obama recognized his efforts by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Poitier maintained dual citizenship with the United States and the Bahamas, serving from 1997 to 2007 as the country’s ambassador to Japan.
President Barack Obama presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Sidney Poitier Gina Patrice Poitier Gourage, his daughter, tragically preceded Mr. Poitier in death in 2018. He is survived by his six daughters and his wife of 45 years, Joana Shimkus. May Sidney Poitier find power, peace, and tranquilly as he rests after a memorable journey on earth.