Meet Sir Sidney Poitier

Hollywood’s Oldest Legend & Caribbean Icon takes his final bow

#TheBahamas, January 15, 2022 – Sidney Poitier was a famous Bahamian-American actor, ambassador, film director, film producer and author. He was born on February 21, 1927 in Miami, Florida and died on January 6, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. He went from a premature two-months early baby to being a successful actor; the first Hollywood Black movie star and the first Black man to win the best actor Oscar.

He was the oldest living as well as the earliest surviving winner of an Academy Award for Best Actor.

He was the youngest of seven children of Reginald James Poitier and Evelyn Poitier, nee Outten (who was from the Turks and Caicos Islands).  His parents originally worked the land and owned a farm on Cat Island, Bahamas.

Poitier’s father also worked as a cab driver in Nassau in the Bahamas.  While Poitier’s parents visited Miami to sell tomatoes, he was unexpectedly born.  Hence, he was entitled to American citizenship as well.  Poitier lived on Cat Island until he was ten.  Then the family moved to Nassau.  He saw his first automobile in Nassau and experienced electricity, plumbing, and motion pictures for the first time.  He stayed in the Bahamas until age 15 until he moved to Miami.  Then he moved to New York at the tender age of 16.

Poitier came from an impoverished background, he was without education, and was faced with several rejections.  He was rejected by filmmakers because he could not sing and had a strong Bahamian accent.  However, he softened his accent, improved his reading abilities and landed a number of star roles in movies that empowered the Black community and allowed audiences to confront racial tensions in America.

“I was not what I was required to be in Florida.  I was not that.  I couldn’t be that.  I was taught that I had basic rights as a human being.  I was taught that I was someone.  I knew we had no money, still, I was taught that I was someone. We had no electricity and no running water, still, I was taught that I was someone.  I had very little education — a year and a half, in fact, was all the schooling I was exposed to –still I knew that I was someone,” said Poitier in a 2000 interview with Oprah Winfrey.  He added that being a Hollywood star did not shield him from certain struggles faced by a black man in America.

When Poitier moved to New York, he first held various jobs as a dishwasher.  He then lied about his age during the Second World War and enlisted in the army.  He was discharged from the army in 1944.  After, he again worked as a dishwasher and later landed a spot with the American Negro Theatre.

Though he had joined the American Negro Theatre, audiences rejected him.  Eventually, Poitier earned a leading role in the Broadway production called Lis Estrada.  He soon became a famous stage actor and started receiving offers for acting in films.  In 1950, Poitier appeared in a successful film titled No Way Out.  A year later, he travelled to South Africa with the actor Canada Lee to play the lead role in the film of The Beloved Country.

Poitier’s breakout role was in Blackboard Jungle, which was released in 1955.

In 1958, he starred in The Defiant Ones with Tony Curtis.  Then appeared in the first production of A Raisin in the sun on Broadway in 1959.

In 1961, Poitier starred in the film version of A Raisin in the Sun.  In 1965, he performed in The Bedford Incident and in that same year, he appeared in the hit film, A Patch of Blue.  In 1967, he appeared in three popular films, including In The Heat of the Night, to Sir With Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Poitier also directed various films and the most successful film is Stir Crazy, the Richard Pryor Gene Wilder comedy. He made his feature film directorial debut with the Western Buck and the Preacher.  He also starred in this film.  He also recorded an album called Poitier meets Plato.

He appeared in a few thrillers and TV roles during the late 80s and early 90s.  In 2014, he appeared alongside Angelina Jolie at the 86 Academy Awards.  This famous actor presented the best director award at this event.  Poitier received a standing ovation and Angelina thanked him for his contributions to Hollywood.

Poitier was the first actor to place footprints and autographs in the cement at the Chinese Theatre of Grommet.

In 2005, Premiere Magazine ranked him number 20 on the list of the greatest movie stars of all time.  The American Film Institute then ranked him number 22 on the list of the 50 greatest Screen Legends.

In 1974, Poitier was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.  He served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007.  Sir Sidney was the Ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO from 2002 to 2007.  In 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian honour of the United States which was presented by President Barack Obama.

Sidney Poitier, who stood at 6.2 inches, is also the winner of two Grammy Awards; in 2001 and 2009 for Best Spoken Word album.

Though he only learnt at the age of 16 how to read, he spoke Russian fluently.

Poitier married Juanita Hardy and remained married until 1965.

In 1959, he started a romance with the famous actress Diane Carroll, whom he dated for nine years.

In 1976, he married Joanna Shimkus of Canada, whom he is on record as calling “the one”.

Sir Sidney leaves behind six daughters, four with Juanita: Gina, Sherry, Pamela and Beverly and two with Joanna: Sydney Tamiia and Anika.

Sidney Poitier has eight grandchildren as well as three great grandchildren.

Poitier’s networth is listed as $20 million.

Source:  Lifestyle & Networth