Former President Barack Obama expressed admiration Friday for the legendary actor Sidney Poitier, whose demise at age 94 was reported earlier that day.
“By means of his groundbreaking roles and singular expertise, Sidney Poitier epitomized dignity and charm, revealing the ability of films to carry us nearer collectively,” Obama stated in an announcement by way of Twitter. “He additionally opened doorways for a era of actors. Michelle and I ship our like to his household and legion of followers.”
In 2009, Obama presented Poitier with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At that ceremony, Poitier was praised as a performer who’d “left an indelible mark on American tradition” and helped “advance the nation’s dialogue on race and respect.”
The Bahamian-American actor broke coloration obstacles within the Fifties and Nineteen Sixties with a variety of roles that challenged the established order of Hollywood. He turned the first Black man to win an Oscar, taking residence the honour for his main function within the 1963 movie “Lilies of the Area.”
The information of Poitier’s demise was shared Friday by the minister of overseas affairs within the Bahamas, however additional particulars weren’t instantly out there.