Sir, we loved you: Sidney Poitier dies at 94
Poitier was the first Black actor to win a Best Actor Oscar, for 1963's Lilies of the Field. His good looks and smooth, commanding presence made him an icon to generations of moviegoers.
Sidney Poitier, groundbreaking star of American movies, has died at the age of 94. His death was confirmed by the office of the prime minister of the Bahamas, according to multiple news organizations — including both wires.
Poitier was the first Black person to win a Best Actor Oscar — and for people of a certain age, his image was indelible: his smooth, commanding presence, his dark skin, his searing good looks, bemused eye rolls and memorable physicality. It all symbolized — and offered a challenge to — the way Black men were represented in movies, and how they might be seen
