Film & TV

Sidney Poitier, First Black Man to Win an Oscar, Dies at Age 94

Sidney Poitier was known for films such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night.

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On Friday, actor Sidney Poitier died, aged 94. The star was the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1963 for Lillies of the Field, an award that wasn't given to another Black man until 38 years later when Denzel Washington received the statuette for his performance in Training Day.

Poitier was known for his roles in films like Guess Who's Coming for Dinner alongside Katharine Hepburn and In the Heat of the Night.

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Photo: Getty Images

While Poitier and his family are of Bahamian origin, Poitier himself was born in Miami in 1927 while his family was there on vacation. In turn, the actor held dual citizenship from the Bahamas and the United States. He grew up with his family in the Bahamas but moved to the U.S. at 15. After honing his craft at the American Negro Theater and later the Broadway stage, Poitier scored his first starring film role in 1955 in Blackboard Jungle.

He received his first Academy Award nomination in 1958 for his role in The Defiant Ones, which saw him nominated for Best Actor alongside his co-star Tony Curtis. Poitier's death was announced by Fred Mitchell, the Bahamian foreign minister, although no cause of death was given.

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Photo: Getty Images

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