The world of politics and entertainment in the United States has said goodbye this Friday to Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win an Oscar as a leading actor, who they have remembered as the great symbol of the civil rights movement in Hollywood.
“Through his innovative roles and his unique talent, Sidney Poitier embodied dignity and grace, revealing the power of movies to bring us closer together. It also opened the doors to a generation of actors, “the former US president said on social media. Barack Obama (2009-2017).
The ex-president has accompanied his message with a photograph with Poitier and his wife, Michelle Obama, from when he decorated the actor in 2009 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
Also the TV presenter Oprah Winfrey has published on his social networks a photograph hugging Poitier, who passed away this Friday at the age of 94, with an emotional farewell message.
“It was an honor to have had him as a teacher, friend, brother and confidant. The highest respect for his magnificent and eloquent life. I treasured him. I adored him. He had a huge soul that I will always cherish, “said Winfrey.
For her part, the actress and producer Viola Davis has highlighted that Poitier was “a great” and has revealed that the interpreter’s work “radically” changed his life.
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“The dignity, normality, strength, excellence and the pure electricity that he contributed in his roles They showed us that we, as blacks, matter !!! It was an honor”, has written in networks.
Meanwhile, the also actress Whoopi Goldberg has expressed her condolences and he has underlined that Poitier taught him to “reach for the stars.”
“He would write in the sky in letters a thousand feet high: For the Lord, with love. Sidney Poitier, rest in peace “, Goldberg has highlighted on Twitter.
Morgan Freeman has been another figure in the world of cinema who has praised Poitier with a message in which He assured that “Sidney” was his inspiration, his light and his friend. “I send my love to Joanna (Shimkus) and her family,” Freeman has written along with a picture of the two hugging.
He is also an actor Denzel Washington has said that “it was a privilege to have been friends with Sidney Poitier”, whom he has defined as “a gentleman who opened the doors” to many actors.
Actor, songwriter, singer and activist Harry Belafonte, who shared the screen with Poitier several times, described him as “a friend and companion”, with whom he tried to “make the world a little better.”
For his part, the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger has revealed that Poitier was “the most worthy man” that you have known.
The death of Poitier was confirmed this Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas in a statement in which did not specify more details of the cause of death of the legendary actor, born in Miami in 1927 and of natural parents from the island of Cat.
Considered the first black dandy in Hollywood, Poitier was the Hollywood symbol during the civil rights movement and after his death he leaves a trace of rectitude, elegance and knowing how to be that no other actor has been able to personify like him in the more than fifty years of career that he leaves behind.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.