Sir Sidney Poitier dead: Oscar-winning actor, director and activist dies aged 94

A pained observation: The only intriguing stories on Hollywood this week consisted of obits – all kinds of obits. There were obits reminding us of the remarkable lives of Sidney Poitier, Peter Bogdanovich and Betty White. Also speculative obits about the Golden Globes, sentimental obits about the extinct 20th Century Fox and even speculative obits about MGM and ICM.

Sidney Poitier, who was the first Black person and Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, passed away last week at the age of 94.And on Tuesday, the trailblazing star's daughter Sydney honored his accomplishments and the'depth of his goodness' in a touching post shared to Instagram.'There are no words for this. No real way to prepare for this. No prose beautiful enough, no speech eloquent enough to capture the essence of my dad,' she began.

Joyce Eliason, Emmy-nominated television writer and producer of TV miniseries and movies, including The Last Don, and The Jacksons: An American Dream, died Monday after a brief illness, according to her agent. She was 87.

What a terrible loss.

A documentary about the extraordinary life of the late Sidney Poitier has been in production at Apple 'for more than a year'.The news of the film comes just after the legendary actor-director died at the age of 94 from 'natural causes,' on January 6. His death was confirmed on Friday.The documentary will be executive produced by Oprah Winfrey with his family additionally participating in the project, perVariety.

Will Smith and John Travolta joined the many celebrities making tributes to the late Sidney Poitier when they shared posts with the actor in mind to their respective Instagram accounts on Sunday.The performers each posted a shot of themselves spending time with the performer and included messages to express their regret about his passing.The late figure, who was the first Black person and Bahamian to win theAcademy Award for Best Actor, died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 94 on Thursday. Expressing their sorrow:Will Smith and John Travolta joined the many celebrities making tributes to the late Sidney Poitier when they shared posts with the actor in mind to their respective Instagram accounts on SundayIn Smith's photos, he was seen joking around with the highly influential performer, who appeared to be laughing.The 53-year-old actor also wrote a short message to emphasize Poitier's impact on the world of film in his post's caption.

Norman Jewison andLee Grant reflected on the late Sidney Poitier's slap scene in the 1967 featureIn the Heat of the Night during an interview with Peoplethat was published on Saturday.During the sit-down, the feature's director and leading actress lauded the performer's acting ability and professionalism while working on the feature.The legendary actor passed away at his home in Los Angeles this past Thursday at the age of 94. Looking back:Norman Jewison and Lee Grant reflected on the late Sidney Poitier's slap scene in the 1967 feature In the Heat of the Night during an interview with People that was published on SaturdayIn the feature, Poitier portrayed Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs, who becomes involved with a murder investigation taking place in Mississippi.During the much-lauded slap scene, Tibbs visited the residence of plantation owner Endicott, portrayed by Larry Gates, and asked him for any information he could provide regarding the case.

Editor’s note: Colman Domingo (Zola, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) is one of many Black actors whose careers were inspired by Sidney Poitier who broke racial barriers to become Hollywood’s first Black movie star and the first Black man to win Best Actor Oscar. In an essay for Deadline following Poitier’s death at age 94, Domingo writes about his meeting with Poitier and about the profound impact that encounter — as well as Poitier’s life and career — have had on him.

Sidney Poitier, who died this Friday at the age of 94, received a touching tribute from Lulu, who sang the theme song for his classic film To Sir, With Love.The 73-year-old singer hailed Sidney as her 'friend,' 'teacher,' and 'inspiration' in a heartwarming pot on her Instagram page.To Sir, With Love bowed in 1967 and starred Sidney as a British Guyanese immigrant to England who finds himself teaching at a rough-and-tumble East End school.

Following a day of tributes to the actor Sidney Poitier, his large family has issued a more personal statement on their fond memories of his warm relations with them. They also noted that his faith in humanity never faltered, “…so know that for all the love you’ve shown him, he loved you back.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network said Friday that it will pay tribute to Sidney Poitier with a a day of special programming Sunday that includes the iconic actor’s 2000 and 2007 appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and an airing of his 1967 film To Sir, With Love.

Piers Morgan has taken to Twitter to share his memories of meeting Sir Sidney Poitier and his wife Joanna Shimkus, 78, following the tragic news of the Oscar-winning actor’s death at the age of 94 today.The former Good Morning Britain presenter recalled chatting to the couple at Jackie Collins’ LA home a few years ago as he paid tribute to Sidney and his “great Hollywood marriage”.The star shared an extract from one of his Daily Mail Event columns from 2014, which detailed their meeting, in view of his 7.9 million followers this evening.He penned alongside it: “Had the pleasure of meeting Sidney Poitier and his delightful wife Joanna at a dinner party at Jackie Collins’ LA home a few years ago, and they told me this lovely story which I wrote about in my Mail diary. “They had one of the great Hollywood marriages.”In his column, Piers revealed that upon meeting Canadian actress Joanna, he took the opportunity to ask her “What’s the best and worst thing about living with an icon?”Joanna went on to give Piers a witty answer that detailed the “terrible mistake” she had made, which impacted the course of their relationship.She cheekily replied: “Well, the best is that Sidney’s just as nice, decent and charming as you would think, which is why I’ve been with him for 48 years. “The worst is that I made a terrible mistake when we first started dating and cooked him a really good meal. “Since then, I’ve had to cook him a really good meal every damn night for 48 years!” Piers went on to admit he then walked straight over to Sir Sidney to spill on his other half’s biggest regret.He continued: “I told him Joanna’s big regret and he burst out laughing. “‘That’s true – after that first meal, I realised she was a wonderful cook, so I

Hollywood and the nation are mourning a Hollywood pioneer today. Click on the photo above to launch a photo gallery on the career of Oscar winner Sidney Poitier, who has died at 94.

Former President Barack Obama paid tribute to Sidney Poitier today, calling him a singular talent” who “epitomized dignity and grace.”

Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win an Oscar, sadly died at 94 years old on Thursday evening.

Legendary and boundary-breaking actor Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94.

Sir Sidney Poitier made history as the first black man ever to win the Best Actor Oscar and, up until his death, carried the title of the oldest living man to have won the award. A number of high profile figures have taken to social media to pay tribute to the Hollywood star, who was known for films including Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Lilies of the Field.Catherine Zeta-Jones, 52, took to Instagram to say goodbye to the acting legend, including a picture of him waving and smiling, dressed in a tuxedo. Addressing her 3.9 million followers, she shared her own moving memory of time she had spent with the late actor: “Farewell Mr.

Tributes are pouring in for Oscar-winning actor, director, civil rights activist and humanitarian Sidney Poitier, who died today at age 94.

Tributes poured in Friday morning following the death of legendary Hollywood actor Sidney Poitier at age 94.Poitier - the first black man to win a best actor Oscar - left behind a trailblazing career which many A-List stars celebrated in their messages of condolences.His passing was confirmed by the Bahamas's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell, on Friday morning. His cause of death is not yet known.Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Anika Noni Rose and many more lead tributes on Friday. 'RIP, Sir.

Hollywood icon Sir Sidney Poitier has passed away at the age of 94.

Sidney Poitier, the trailblazing and iconic Black actor, director, civil rights activist and humanitarian, has died, Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell has announced.