Legendary Actor Sidney Poitier Dies at 94

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Academy Award-winner Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94.

Deadline reports that the Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis announced Poitier's passing in a press conference this morning. The cause of his death is not currently known.

Poitier made history as the first African American actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field in 1963. The role also earned him a Golden Globe and BAFTA award. The Academy also presented him with an Honorary Award in 2001.

Poitier was seen on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun, Anna Lucasta, and Lysistrata. He also directed the 1968 production of Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights.

As previously announced, his life is set to be the subject of an upcoming Broadway play, titled Sidney, written by Ron Gillyard (Born for This, Mr. Soul); Poitier's daughter, filmmaker Anika Poitier; and Barry Krost. The play will be directed by Tony-winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

The play dramatizes Poitier's life, from his upbringing on Cat Island in the Bahamas to his rise to become America's most revered actor and activist. With his unique career, Sidney Poitier helped change many racial attitudes that had persisted in this country for centuries. He built the bridges and opened the doors for countless artists in succeeding generations. He is an actor who stood for hope, for excellence, and who has given happiness to millions of people around the world.

Poitier's career spanned over the course of 71 years, including iconic film roles like Cry, the Beloved Country, Something of Value, The Defiant Ones, Pressure Point, A Patch of Blue, To Sir With Love, In The Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Lilies of the Field, and many others.