Sir Sidney Poitier is a multi-award winning actor, director, writer and international diplomat. In 1963, Poitier became the very first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award in the same category. it is for her role in the film adaptation of William Edmund Barrett’s 1963 novel Lys of the Field.
In 2002, the Hollywood icon received an Academy Honor Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Besides his illustrious career in showbiz, Sydney Poitier is also a distinguished diplomat having served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. Poitier is a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the recipient of the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Sidney Poitier Biography
Sir Sidney L. Poitier was born on February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida, to Bahamian parents, Evelyn (née Outten) and Reginald James Poitier. Sidney was born two months before her due date, while her parents were in Miami on business. As a result, his parents stayed in Miami until their little son was in a much better condition. The young Poitier was raised in the Bahamas alongside 7 older brothers. However, his birth in the United States granted him automatic American citizenship.
As a teenager, Poitier moved to Miami where he joined his brother’s family. At 16, he moved to New York where he held several odd jobs. Having never received a formal education, one of his colleagues learned to read a newspaper in Poitier. During World War II, he faked his age to join the US Army. After being a hospital worker for a short time, Poitier was discharged from the army and he resumed his odd jobs. He finally got a chance to perform after a successful audition at the American Negro Theater (ANT).
Sidney Poitier struggled for the first few months, but he eventually landed his first starring role in a Broadway production. He made his feature film debut in the 1950 film No Way Out. His performance in the film brought him notice and landed him many more roles. In 1958, Poitier earned his first Oscar nomination for his starring role in the detective film Les Défiant (1958) becoming the first Bahamian-born actor to be nominated for an Oscar. Sidney Poitier made history in 1963 when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first black man and the first Bahamian to win this prestigious award.
Way back in 1974, Sidney was conferred a Knight of the Order of the British Empire by British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. After several decades of a distinguished career in Hollywood, Sidney served his country as Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. On August 12, 2009, US President Barack Obama presented him with the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom.
His wife, daughter and other children
Sidney Poitier is currently married to former actress Joanna Shimkus, his wife of over 4 decades. Shimkus was born in Canada and she is also of Irish descent. The couple tied the knot on January 23, 1976; they have 2 children together.
Prior to his current union, he was married to a woman known as Juanita Hardy. The marriage lasted 15 years, from April 1950 to 1965. Besides his first marriage, Poitier also had a nine-year affair with actress Diahann Carroll. Their relationship is believed to have started while Poitier was still married to his first wife, but they never got married.
The actor has a total of 6 children, all girls. Poitier had 4 daughters with his first wife Juanita Hardy; Beverly, Pamela, Sherri and Gina. He had 2 others (Anika and Sydney) from his current marriage. Mr. Sidney also has numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Sydney Tamiia Poitier is the last daughter of the veteran Hollywood actor and just like her father, she also immersed herself in the acting world. She started in the 1990s with small television and film roles. Besides her guest roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Hawaii Five to 0, Tamiia had regular roles on Chicago PD (2014) as well as the Canadian crime drama Carter (2018).
Is Sidney Poitier dead or alive?
Sir Sidney Poitier is over 9 years old. Still very much alive and well. The Hollywood vet has been the victim of unsubstantiated death hoaxes on a few occasions, but they’ve all been confirmed to be false. A pioneer in his own right, Sidney Poitier is the oldest recipient of an Academy Award.
Net value
Sidney Poitier is undoubtedly one of the mostsuccessful actors in Hollywood history. He had an illustrious decades-long career as an actor and director. His net worth is currently estimated at $25 million.