Cinema legend Sidney Poitier passes away at the age of 94
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) pictured during a break in filming of 'To Sir, With Love' (1967) on location at Victoria Barracks, Windsor, UK, 1967.
Legendary actor and activist Sidney Poitier has passed away at the age of 94, at his home in the Bahamas.
The actor led a stellar 71-year-career that saw him break long-established racial barriers in American cinema, including starring roles in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night and Lillies of the Field.
The latter won him the Oscar for Best Actor in 1962 - the first awarded to a Black actor - which would be joined by a special Achievement award in 2001, in recognition of his years of service to film.
He received two further Academy Award nominations, ten Golden Globes nominations, two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, six BAFTA nominations, eight Laurel nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination.
Poitier was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. In 1995, he received the Kennedy Center Honor.
In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, while in 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.
At the time of his passing, he was one of the last surviving stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, while his directorial credits include 1980 comedy classic Stir Crazy, starring genre legends Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.
