'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Actor Sidney Poitier passed away recently on January 6 at the age of 94. The news was confirmed by Fred Mitchell, Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
His last appearance was at the Oscars in 2014 to present the award for Best Director with Angelina Jolie.
He received a standing ovation from the audience while Jolie told him, “We are in your debt.” Poitier replied to the crowd and asked them to keep up the wonderful work.
Sidney’s cause of death remains unknown and further details on his death are yet to be revealed.
Sidney Poitier’s net worth explored
Sir Sidney L. Poitier was a popular actor, film director, activist, and ambassador. He was the first black male and Bahamian actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964.
According to CelebrityNetWorth, Poitier’s net worth was estimated to be around $20 million. He earned a lot of wealth following his appearance in several films.
Sidney was a resident of a house in Beverly Hills, California, and its price is said to be somewhere between $7 to $10 million today.
The journey of Sidney Poitier
Born on February 20, 1927, he was the youngest among seven children and his parents were the owners of a farm on Cat Island.
Sidney’s family shifted to Nassau when he was 10 and he became familiar with the modern world. He was then sent to live with his brother’s family at the age of 15 and worked as a dishwasher when he was 16.
He lied about his age and entered the Army in 1943. He was discharged in 1944 and worked as a dishwasher until he gave an audition and grabbed a role in a theater production.
Acting career
Sidney Poitier was initially rejected by the audience when he first joined the American Negro Theater. However, he was loved by the public after he played a lead role in the Broadway production called Lysistrata.
The Virgin Island star made his film debut with No Way Out in 1950. His role as Dr. Luther Brooks was appreciated and he then appeared as Gregory W. Miller in the social drama film, Blackboard Jungle.
He also worked with director William Wellman on Good-bye, My Lady in 1956. He was next seen alongside Tony Curtis in Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones in 1958, which was critically and commercially successful.
The Paris Blues actor appeared in the film adaptation of Porgy and Bess in 1959 and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance. This was followed by another film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun in 1961.
Sidney eventually became a familiar name by 1967 in the film industry as he delivered three hit films. He played major roles in social thrillers during the 1960s, which were loved by the critics and audience.
The Edge of the City star was the director of several films and the most successful among them was Stir Crazy, released in 1980. He was also as a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 2003.
Poitier won the 2001 Honorary Academy Award in 2002 for his contribution to American cinema.
Sidney was chosen as the ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan in 1997. He held the position until 2007 and was also the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO from 2002 to 2007.
Public and popular personalities pay tribute to Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier has remained active in the film industry since 1950s and has appeared in various commercially successful films. Public and well-known celebrities took to social media to express the loss they felt following Poitier’s death.
The Band of Angels actor is survived by six children, eight children and three great-grandchildren.
He first tied the knot with Juanita Hardy in April 1950 and they remained together until 1965. He then had a nine-year affair with actress Diahann Carroll, starting in 1959.
Sidney then married former actress Joanna Shimkus in January 1976. They were the parents of four daughters from Poitier’s first wife and two from his second wife. 23 relatives from Poitier’s family were missing when Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas in September 2019.
