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The iconic, Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier has passed away. He was 94.
Born in Miami and proudly of Bahamian descent, Poitier’s death was confirmed by the nation’s Minister of Foreign Affair Fred Mitchell.
Poitier holds the distinction of being the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964 for his performance in Lilies of the Field. Some of the famed films to his credit in a stellar career include Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), To Sir, with Love (1967); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) and The Defiant Ones (1958). Poitier was also an accomplished director, with some of those credits include Stir Crazy which starred Richard Pryor and Let’s Do It Again, which starred Bill Cosby and himself.
Anytime you saw Poitier on the screen, he cut a striking figure of authority and class. To see a Black man command such respect, particularly in an era fraught with racial discord, was truly inspirational. President Barack Obama awarded Poitier the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Rest in powerful peace Sir Sidney Poitier, he was knighted in 1974.
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