Mourning for an acting legend and a pioneer: after the death of Sidney Poitier, colleagues and politicians pay tribute to the black Hollywood star and his legacy.
The Poitier, who grew up in the Bahamas, died at the age of 94, as an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas confirmed to the German Press Agency on Friday. The country’s Prime Minister Philip Davis honored the actor in a speech. Its light would shine on for generations to come, Davis said.
“Sidney was my inspiration, my role model, my friend,” wrote Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (84) on Twitter. According to People.com, Denzel Washington (67) praised Poitier as a “meek man” who opened doors that were long closed to blacks. Halle Berry, who won an Oscar for her role in the drama “Monster’s Ball” in 2002 as the first black leading actress, praised Poitier on Instagram as an “iconic pioneer”.
Leading the way for blacks in the United States
As a trailblazer for blacks, Poitier wrote Hollywood history: in 1964 he was the first black man to receive the Oscar for best leading actor for “Lilies in the Field”. The then 37-year-old convinced the academy with the portrayal of a black worker on the farm of white nuns. Before him, only Hattie McDaniel had won an Oscar as a black woman in 1940 for her supporting role as housekeeper in the melodrama Gone With the Wind.
The farmer’s son, who grew up in the poorest of circumstances in the Bahamas, was knighted by the British Queen in 1974. In 2002 he received an honorary Oscar for his life’s work. In 2009 the then US President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the USA. Poitier embodied “dignity and decency” with his unique talent, wrote Obama on Twitter on Friday.
“Sidney was more than just one of the best actors in our history,” said US President Joe Biden. “He paved the way for our nation and left a legacy that touches every part of our society today.” Poitier contributed to “opening the hearts of millions and changing the way Americans see themselves”.
Historical kiss
One of Poitier’s successes is that he was the first black man to kiss a white woman in a Hollywood film. The scene in the film «Guess who comes to dinner» was filmed shamefully through the rear-view mirror of a taxi in 1967. In the late 1960s, Poitier was considered one of the highest paid film actors. The star from films such as “Escape in Chains”, “Porgy and Bess”, “A Spot in the Sun” and “In the Heat of the Night” made his last feature film in 1997 with the action thriller “The Jackal”.
As “best of the best”, actress Mia Farrow (76) paid tribute to the deceased. “He showed us how to reach for the stars,” wrote Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg (66, “Ghost, message from Sam”) on Twitter. She will cherish his “huge soul” forever, said talk show legend Oprah Winfrey.
The Oscar Academy posted a photo on Twitter from 1964 of Poitier beaming his Oscar trophy. The Academy wrote that he tore down barriers and advanced racial dialogue in the United States through his art. “Few movie stars had or will have Poitier’s influence, on the screen and beyond.” (dpa)