This has been a brutal week in terms of Hollywood legends passing.
We are still getting over the death of Betty White, when the news of yet another prolific and legendary actor having passed hit.
Sidney Poitier, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1964, has passed away.
Beloved
Poitier was a legend, and not just because he was the first black winner of an Oscar for a leading role.
He was beloved and appreciated by all for his exceptional talent.
Poitier was a star during one of the most extraordinary times in Hollywood when they actually made original movies and made a difference in people’s lives.
Some of his most notable films were “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961), “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967), and “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974).
Poitier was also recently honored to have the Arizona State University Law film school named after him.
In January, the school was dubbed the “Sidney Poitier New American Film School.”
Michael M. Crow, president of the university, in dedicating the school to Poitier, stated that Poitier “embodies in his very person that which we strive to be — the matching of excellence and drive and passion with social purpose and social outcomes, all things that his career has really stood for.
“You’re looking for an icon, a person that embodies everything you stand for.
“With Sidney Poitier, it’s his creative energy, his dynamism, his drive, his ambition, the kinds of projects he worked on, the ways in which he advanced his life.
“Look at his life: It’s a story of a person who found a way.
“How do we help other young people find their way?”
Poitier’s first role was uncredited in 1947, playing a nightclub extra.
It took a few years for him to get grip, but starting in 1950, the train really started to roll.
Poitier became in great demand in the late 1950s and by the 1960s, it was clear he was a force in Hollywood.
Poitier continued to work steadily until the late 1990s when his schedule was cut back dramatically.
His last credited role was in a TV movie, “The Last Brickmaker in America,” in 2001.
Rest in peace, Sidney, as you were truly one of the greats.
Source: Fox News
