Sidney Poitier is a legendary award-winning Bahamian-American actor and director known for starring in films such as ‘Lilies of the Field’ and ‘The Defiant Ones.’ His directorial catalog includes films such as ‘Let’s Do It Again’ and ‘Ghost Dad’, both of which co-star Bill Cosby.
In addition to winning various awards for his work, Poitier is exemplary and one of the people who helped break the color barrier in the film industry. He has also received awards from some of the world’s largest market leaders. Queen Elizabeth II made him a Knight Commander of the Best Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1974, and former US President Barack Obama awarded him the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2009.
Sir Sidney Poitier, as he is now addressed, spent most of his days as a diplomat in the early 2000s. From 1997 to 2007 he was the first ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan. From 2002 to 2007 he was also a UNESCO ambassador.
biography
Sidney Poitier was born the youngest of eight sons to Evelyn and Reginald James Poitier on February 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida. However, there are some reports that Poitier was born on his father’s tomato farm on Cat Island in the Bahamas.
Poitier spent most of his childhood on Cat Island before moving to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, at the age of 10. He was sent to Miami when he was 15 to live with one of his brothers. He spent a year there before moving to New York City, where he taught himself to read English and began auditioning for roles at the North American Negro Theatre.
It took Poitier a while to get the hang of things before landing a starring role in the Broadway production of Lysistrata. He later switched to films with his first film ‘No Way Out’ (1950). His breakthrough role, however, came in 1955 when he starred in Blackboard Jungle.
From then on, Poitier became a sensation in the film industry. His performance in The Defiant Ones (1958) earned him an Academy Award nomination, making him the first Bahamian male actor to receive the award. He won the award in 1963 for his performance in Lilies of the Field, becoming the first actor of Bahamian descent to win another Academy Award for Best Actor.
With him as the only leading man of color, Sidney Poitier, who was starring in Hollywood at the time, continued to act in many films including ‘The Bedford Incident’ (1965), followed by ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ (1967) and ‘In the Heat of the Night’ of the same year 1967.
He made his directorial debut in the 1972 western film Buck and the Preacher, in which he also starred.
Wealth (income and earnings)
Sidney Poitier is said to have an estimated net worth around $25 million, which he has earned through his various roles in the film business over the years, and he continues to receive royalties from and also from his appointment as Ambassador.
Is Sydney Poitier dead?
Sidney Poitier is alive and kicking. The Hollywood veteran may not be as strong as he used to be due to age but keeps up with his huge extended family and can be spotted at a cinematic event from time to time.
He has been a past victim of the online celebrity death hoax series that has been proven false.
Who is Sidney Poitier’s wife?
Sidney Poitier is married to Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus, best known for her roles in films such as ‘The Lost Man’ (1969) and ‘The Virgin and the Gypsy’ (1970).
Shimkus, who is of mixed Lithuanian-Jewish and Irish descent, became the famous actor’s second wife in 1976 after he divorced his first wife, Juanita Hardy, in 1965.
His daughter, children
Sidney Poitier has a total of six children from his two marriages, all of whom are girls. Their children are Beverly Poitier-Henderson, Pamela Poitier, Sherri Poitier, Gina Poitier-Gouraige, Anika Poitier and Sydney Tamiia Poitier-Heartsong.
Poitier’s youngest daughter, Sydney Tamiia, was born in 1973 and followed in her father’s footsteps to become an actress. She holds a bachelor’s degree in acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting before landing her first roles in the late ’90s. She continues to act in films and television series to this day.