Oscar winner and groundbreaking star Sidney Poitier dies
American film groundbreaking star Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94. His death has been confirmed by the Bahamas PM's office.
Poitier was the first black person to win an Oscar for Best Actor - and for people of a certain age, his image was indelible: his smooth, commanding appearance, his dark skin, his handsome appearance, his astonished eye roll. And the memorable physicality. It's all a symbol - and a challenge - to the way black men are represented in movies, and how they can be seen in the real world.
"I made the films when there was only another black shoe boy on the lot," he recalled in a 1988 Newsweek interview. "I was the only person in town."
In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's historical work about the dreams and frustrations of a black family in 1950s America, Poitier plays Walter Lee Younger. Walter wants to start his own business, but he is disappointed with his big plans. Poitier first appeared on stage, alongside actor Glenn Terman as Walter's son Travis.
At the top of the title, Poitier's name marked a turning point in his career. It was becoming more and more widely accepted by filmgoers. Sidney Poitier's rise in popularity seems to be linked to the civil rights movement's hopes.
In 1967, Poitier became the top box office draw with three popular films of the same year: To Sir With Love, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In The Heat of the Night, in which he starred as a big city spy. Played the role of Virgil Tabs. In one famous scene, Tibbs questions a murder suspect, the owner of a wealthy garden, who slaps him - and the detective immediately slaps him on the back. The white man is taken by surprise, and so were many movie audiences.
"I accept this award in memory of all the African American actors and actresses who have gone through difficult years before me, on whose shoulders I have had the privilege of seeing where I will go," she said on stage.
Standing up for Sydney Poetry, the slogans were chanted. Halle Berry and Denzel Washington received Best Actress and Best Actor awards that night, making a new debut at the Oscars. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Sidney Poetry the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
"For those young African American filmmakers who have come to the playground, I'm proud to be here. I'm sure, like me, you've discovered that it was never impossible, it was just difficult." He said this while receiving Lifetime Achievement Award from American Film Institute in 1992. "