Actor Sidney Poitier, the first black American actor to win an Oscar, passes away at age 94.
I remember watching Poitier in one of his movies back in the day in high school.
"In the Heat of the Night"
FBI agent Virgil Tibbs. "They call me Mr. Tibbs!"
Rest in Peace, Mr Poitier.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainmen...uary-1.6307217
Sidney Poitier, the groundbreaking actor and enduring inspiration who transformed how Black people were portrayed on screen, became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw, has died. He was 94.
Poitier, winner of the best actor Oscar in 1964 for "Lilies of the Field," died Thursday in the Bahamas, according to Eugene Torchon-Newry, acting director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Bahamas.
Few movie stars, Black or white, had such an influence both on and off the screen. Before Poitier, the son of Bahamian tomato farmers, no Black actor had a sustained career as a lead performer or could get a film produced based on his own star power. Before Poitier, few Black actors were permitted a break from the stereotypes of bug-eyed servants and grinning entertainers.